Citation

Wu CY, Stewart R, Huang HC, Prince M, Liu SI. Gen. Hosp. Psychiatry 2011; 33(1): 37-44.

Affiliation

Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2010.10.006

PMID

21353126

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Little is known about use of formal or informal help-seeking resources prior to deliberate self-harm (DSH) outside Western settings. The aim of the study was to investigate help-seeking behavior and correlates of this prior to self-harm in an East Asian setting. METHODS: Over a year period, consecutive attendees at a general hospital emergency room in Taiwan with DSH were asked about prior medical contact and informal help-seeking in the month prior to DSH. Self-reported social support/network was measured using the Close Persons Questionnaire. RESULTS: The mean age of the 209 participants was 35.2 years (S.D.=13.3), with three times more women (75.6%) than men. Nearly half had made medical contact (47.1%) or sought informal help (54.1%) within the month prior to DSH. After adjustment, higher level of confiding and practical support were associated with seeking informal help (odds ratio [OR] 1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06-1.23; OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.04-1.32, respectively). Prior medical contact was negatively associated with higher social network outside the home (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.85-0.98). CONCLUSION: Social support/network potentially modifies help-seeking behavior prior to DSH. Quality rather than quantity of social support was associated with seeking informal support, with the reverse pattern associated with prior medical contact.

Language: en