Socio-economic differences in intentional injuries: a national study of Swedish male and female adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
To measure socio-economic differences in intentional injuries among Swedish adolescents.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study, based on linkage of records from national registers, considering injuries incurred by all adolescents domiciled in Sweden in 1990-94. Absolute and relative differences between adolescents from four household socio-economic groups (SEGs) were measured, considering separately males and females, two age categories (10-14 and 15-19 years) and injuries caused by interpersonal violence and self-inflicted injuries.


RESULTS
Absolute differences (in injury incidence) between SEGs were greatest for self-inflicted injuries, among older female adolescents. There were clear social gradients in all instances, but relative differences (relative risks) reached a peak for interpersonal violence among younger adolescents, for both boys and girls.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a clear association among Swedish adolescents between type of intentional injury and gender, with absolute differences remarkably wide for self-inflicted injuries. For a given age category, gender-specific social gradients are quite comparable within diagnosis.
Engström
K
K
Karolinska Institutet, Department of Public Health Sciences, Division of Social Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden.
Laflamme
L
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D012042:Registries; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*