Citation

Rouen C, Clough AR, West C. Crisis 2019; ePub(ePub): 1-7.

Affiliation

Nursing & Midwifery, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, International Association for Suicide Prevention, Publisher Hogrefe Publishing)

DOI

10.1027/0227-5910/a000589

PMID

30935241

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Indigenous Australians experience a suicide rate over twice that of the general population. With nonfatal deliberate self-harm (DSH) being the single most important risk factor for suicide, characterizing the incidence and repetition of DSH in this population is essential. AIMS: To investigate the incidence and repetition of DSH in three remote Indigenous communities in Far North Queensland, Australia.

METHOD: DSH presentation data at a primary health-care center in each community were analyzed over a 6-year period from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2011.

RESULTS: A DSH presentation rate of 1,638 per 100,000 population was found within the communities. Rates were higher in age groups 15-24 and 25-34, varied between communities, and were not significantly different between genders; 60% of DSH repetitions occurred within 6 months of an earlier episode. Of the 227 DSH presentations, 32% involved hanging. LIMITATIONS: This study was based on a subset of a larger dataset not specifically designed for DSH data collection and assesses the subset of the communities that presented to the primary health-care centers.

CONCLUSION: A dedicated DSH monitoring study is required to provide a better understanding of DSH in these communities and to inform early intervention strategies.

Language: en

Keywords

Australia; deliberate self-harm; indigenous populations