Lifetime prevalence and correlates of self-harm and suicide attempts among male prisoners with histories of injecting drug use
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Cossar, Reece
Dietze, Paul M
Armstrong, Gregory
Curtis, Michael
Kinner, Stuart A
Ogloff, James RP
Kirwan, Amy
Stoove, Mark A
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Auckland, New Zealand
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Introduction and Aims Histories of self‐harm and suicide attempts are common among people in prison in Australia, and substance dependence is an established risk factor for these lifetime experiences. We describe the prevalence of self‐reported history of non‐suicidal self‐injury (NSSI) and suicide attempts in a cohort of men with recent histories of injecting drug use imprisoned in Victoria, Australia.
Design and Methods Participants completed a researcher‐administered structured questionnaire in the weeks prior to release from prison. Exposure measures were examined with Poisson regression.
Key Findings More than one‐third (37%) reported a history of NSSI and almost half of participants (47%) reported a history of suicide attempts. A history of NSSI was associated with: self‐reporting a mental illness diagnosis (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=1.65; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06‐2.58); current poor psychiatric well‐being (aOR=1.40; 95% CI 1.07‐1.85); and self‐reporting ≥3 drug overdoses (aOR=1.71; 95% CI 1.21‐2.42). History of a suicide attempts was significantly associated with: self‐reporting a mental illness diagnosis (aOR=1.80; 95% CI 1.21‐2.69); and self‐reporting a history of 1‐2 (aOR=1.36; 95% CI 1.01‐1.82) and ≥3 (aOR=1.44; 95% CI 1.10‐1.89) drug overdoses.
Discussions and Conclusions We observed a disconcertingly high lifetime prevalence of NSSI and suicide attempts among incarcerated males with injecting drug use histories. Significant associations with indicators of mental illness and drug related harms support the need to prioritise in‐prison screening and continuity of care between community and prison health to reduce the risk of prospective harms for this population.
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Drug and Alcohol Review
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37
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S3
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Biomedical and clinical sciences
Human society
Psychology
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Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Substance Abuse
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Stewart, A; Cossar, R; Dietze, PM; Armstrong, G; Curtis, M; Kinner, SA; Ogloff, JRP; Kirwan, A; Stoove, MA, Lifetime prevalence and correlates of self-harm and suicide attempts among male prisoners with histories of injecting drug use, Drug and Alcohol Review, 2018, 37, pp. S68-S68