Abstract
Purpose: To assess the prevalence and risk factors for self-injury and suicide attempt in prison in a sample composed of 186 female inmates. Methods: Sociodemographic data, measures of depression, self-destructive behavior, suicide attempt, and other specific questions related to the reality in the prison environment were collected. Results: Self-injury and suicide attempt before incarceration was reported by 11.3% and 35.5% of the sample, respectively. During imprisonment, a prevalence of 29% and 18.8% for self-injury and suicide attempt, respectively, was observed. Multiple binary logistic regression identified the following risk factors for self-injury: age <32 years, depressive symptoms, history of torture at the time of the arrest, aggression in prison, and sexually transmitted infection. Conversely, the risk factors for suicide attempt were depressive symptoms, self-injury history, aggression in prison, and sexually transmitted infection. Conclusion: This study confirmed the high prevalence of self-harm and suicide attempts in female prisoners. Specific screening tools and the institution of public policies to assess and provide mental health care for incarcerated people in Brazil are needed.
Highlights
The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in the prison population remains high, and reliable factors related to these disorders are still unknown (Baranyi G, 2019)
The variables significantly associated with self-injury were included in a multivariate binary logistic regression to assess the predictors of self-injury and suicide attempt in prison
The main findings of this study were that women aging
Summary
The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in the prison population remains high, and reliable factors related to these disorders are still unknown (Baranyi G, 2019) Somehow, this fact may contribute to suicide as one of the leading causes of death in the prison environment, reaching ~50% of all deaths during incarceration (Fazel & Baillargeon, 2011). While self-injury constitutes an inadequate way of dealing with conflicts, the suicide attempt is intended to end life. In this sense, it is essential to classify these behaviors differently since a minor mistake may lead to unnecessary hospitalization and misallocation of valuable emergency resources
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