Deliberate self-harm in children and adolescents: association with social deprivation.
BACKGROUND
It has been demonstrated that adult suicidal behaviour is associated with unemployment and social deprivation. The association between self-harm and social deprivation in young people is less clear.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between social deprivation and deliberate self-harm in children and adolescents in an UK district.


METHODS
Computer records of patients under 18 years of age presenting with self-harm at the district casualty department were analysed in Hull and East Yorkshire. The relationship with social deprivation was examined using Townsend scores.


RESULTS
730 young people presented with self-harm during a period of two years. Socio-economic deprivation was associated with overdose, self-injury, and poisoning by illicit substances. After controlling for the proportion of single parent households, moving households with children, and adult long-term sickness in each ward, partial correlations remained significant between overdose, self-injury, and Townsend scores.


CONCLUSIONS
The results highlight the importance of socio-economic deprivation in the aetiology of deliberate self-harm in young people. Primary and secondary prevention programs cannot be successful without taking this into consideration.
Ayton
Agnes
A
West End Child and Family Service, 2062-68 Hessle Road, Hessle HU13 9NW, North Humberside, UK. A.K.Ayton@hull.ac.uk
Rasool
Hufrize
H
Cottrell
David
D
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D062787:Drug Overdose / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000506:poisoning*; D008297:Male; D011041:Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011610:Psychosocial Deprivation; D012307:Risk Factors; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D020954:Single-Parent Family / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D013287:Illicit Drugs