Association between alcohol consumption and severity of self-harm behaviors based on suicidal intent in patients admitted to the emergency department for self-harm

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the association between alcohol consumption and the severity of self-harm behaviors based on the suicidal intents of patients admitted to the emergency department (ED) for self-harm. This was a retrospective study on patients admitted to the ED between March 2017 and December 2020 owing to self-harm behaviors and were grouped into a suicide attempt (SA) and non-suicidal self-harm (NSSH) group. A total of 642 (73.5%) and 232 (26.5%) patients were classified into SA and NSSH groups, respectively. In the SA group, 270 (42.1%) patients reported consuming alcohol, which was independently associated with ≥12 years of formal education and no history of psychiatric hospitalization. In the NSSH group, 87 (37.5%) patients reported consuming alcohol, which was associated with male sex, being married or unmarried but living together, ≥12 years of formal education, and no history of depression. Alcohol consumption could predict ED disposition in the SA group but not in the NSSH group. The impact of alcohol consumption varied according to suicidal intents among patients admitted to the ED for self-harm behavior. Regardless of suicidal intent, patients with a higher education level tended to drink alcohol when engaging in self-harm behaviors.