Citation

Dear GE. Psychiatry Psychol. Law. 2008; 15(3): 469-481.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Law, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/13218710802101613

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In this article the findings from a programme of research into self-harming behaviour in Western Australian adult prisons conducted since 1996 are integrated with findings from international research to construct a model to explain self-harm in prison. The critical component in the model is severe distress: the necessary ingredient for self-harming behaviour. Consequently, a critical aspect of any system to prevent self-harm in prison is to reliably detect and effectively respond to prisoners' distress. The priority for researchers is to test the model using prospective designs to permit conclusions about causative relations among factors. © 2008 The Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law.

Language: en

Keywords

Suicide; Self-harm; Suicidal behaviour; Prisoners