© 2003 American Public Health Association
Kenneth R. Conner and Yeates Conwell are with the University of Rochester Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide, Rochester, NY. John Langley is with the Injury Prevention Research Unit, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. Kenneth J. Tomaszewski is with the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center. Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Kenneth R. Conner, PsyD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester Medical Center, 300 Crittenden Blvd, Rochester, NY 14642 (e-mail: kenneth_conner{at}urmc.rochester.edu).
Objectives. Risks for suicide and nonfatal self-injury hospitalizations associated with previous injury hospitalizations were investigated in a nationwide retrospective cohort study conducted in New Zealand. Methods. Linked data from all New Zealand public hospitals were used to identify individuals with injury hospitalizations. Participants were followed for 12 months. Results. Significantly increased age- and sex-adjusted relative risks for suicide were associated with previous hospitalization for self-injury, injuries of undetermined causes, and assault. Also, elevated risks were associated with these causes of hospitalization in the case of subsequent self-injury hospitalizations. Conclusions. Results indicate that identifiable subgroups of individuals hospitalized for injuries are at marked risk for serious suicidal behavior and suggest the potential of targeted suicide prevention for these individuals. This article has been cited by other articles:
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