Absconding from a Psychiatric Hospital in a Developing Country, Related Factors, and the Consequences

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to investigate the factors related to absconding and consequences of absconding in a psychiatric hospital in a developing country within 3 years. Methods: This was a retrograde descriptive cross-sectional study from a psychiatry hospital in a developing country, Iran. The registered data of absconding between March 2018 and February 2021 were extracted. Furthermore, a retrograde follow-up by telephone on what happened after the absconding and the remembered motives was done. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software for Windows Version 23 by descriptive statistics. The chi-square test, Fisher exact test, Student t test, or Mann-Whitney U tests were used for data analysis. P