title: Deliberate self-harm in children and adolescents: association with social deprivation.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: West End Child and Family Service, 2062-68 Hessle Road, Hessle HU13 9NW, North Humberside, UK. A.K.Ayton@hull.ac.uk
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ayton
authors.forename: Hufrize
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rasool
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cottrell
mesh_terms: 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*
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs