Personality disorders and nonfatal unintentional injuries among US adults.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association between personality disorders and nonfatal unintentional injuries in a representative sample of US adults.


METHODS
Data on self-reported nonfatal unintentional injuries during the 12 months before the interview were obtained from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) were analyzed; 43,093 adults > or = 18 years participated in the NESARC wave I survey in 2001-02. Personality disorders were determined using the NIAAA Alcohol Use Disorders and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule-DSM-IV.


RESULTS
Individuals with at least one personality disorder had a significantly higher 12-month incidence of injuries than people without any personality disorder (p<0.001). After accounting for sociodemographic characteristics or other mental disorders, OR was 1.54 (95% CI 1.39 to 1.71) for individuals with one personality disorder and 1.80 (95% CI 1.58 to 2.05) for individuals with two or more personality disorders compared with people with no personality disorder.


CONCLUSIONS
Personality disorders were associated with a significantly increased risk of unintentional injuries. This information has important implications for the treatment of patients with these disorders.
Chen
G
G
Center for Injury Research and Policy, Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, College of Medicine, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43205, USA.
Sinclair
S
S
Smith
G A
GA
Kelleher
K
K
Pajer
K A
KA
Gardner
W
W
Xiang
H
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology