title: The impact of contact with suicide-related behavior in prison on young offenders.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prison suicide rates are high, and suicide-related behaviors (SRBs) higher, but effects of contact with such behaviors in prison have not previously been examined.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare the mental state of young men witnessing a peer's suicide-related behavior in prison with that of men without such experience, and to test for factors associated with morbidity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-six male prisoners (age 16-21 years) reporting contact with another's suicide-related behavior in prison were interviewed 6 months after the incident, with validated questionnaires, as were 44 without such contact at least 6 months into their imprisonment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significantly higher levels of psychiatric morbidity and own suicide-related behaviors were found in the witness group, even after controlling for their higher levels of family mental illness and pre-exposure experience of in-prison bullying. Some personal factors were associated with higher morbidity; incident and institutional factors were not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings of heightened vulnerabilities among young men exposed to suicide-related behaviors in prison suggest a need for longitudinal study to clarify temporal relationships and inform strategies to prevent or limit development of morbidity and further harm.
authors.affiliation: <location>West London Mental Health NHS Trust, London, UK</location>
authors.forename: Heidi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hales
authors.affiliation: <location>Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, UK</location>
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Edmondson
authors.affiliation: <location>North Metro Area Mental Health Service, School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia</location>
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Davison
authors.affiliation: <location>Department of Developmental Epidemiology, SGDP, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College, London, UK</location>
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Maughan
authors.affiliation: <location>Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, UK</location>
authors.forename: Pamela J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D057237:Criminals / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D004739:England; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D065026:Hope; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D011330:Prisons; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012931:Social Environment; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*; D013405:Suicide; D013406:Suicide, Attempted; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: adolescent; contact; exposure; suicide; witness