Substance use and self-harm: a cross-sectional study of the prevalence, correlates and patterns of medical service utilisation among patients admitted to a South African hospital

dc.contributor.authorBreet, Elsie
dc.contributor.authorBantjes, Jason
dc.contributor.authorLewis, Ian
dc.date.accessioned2018-05-04T08:17:03Z
dc.date.available2018-05-04T08:17:03Z
dc.date.issued2018-03-06
dc.date.updated2018-04-09T15:11:32Z
dc.description.abstractAbstract Background Substance use is a potentially modifiable risk factor for suicidal behaviour. Little is known about the epidemiology of substance use among self-harm patients in South Africa. This study set out to collect epidemiological data about the prevalence, correlates, and patterns of medical service utilisation among self-harm patients who used substances at the time of self-injury. Methods Data from 238 consecutive self-harm patients treated at an urban hospital in South Africa were analysed using bivariate and multivariate statistics. Results Approximately 20% of patients reported substance use at the time of self-harm. When compared to other self-harm patients, higher rates of patients who had used substances: had depressed levels of consciousness on admission; utilised more medical resources and required longer hospital admissions; cited relationship difficulties and financial concerns as reasons for their self-harm; reported a previous episode of self-harm; and intended to die as a result of their injuries. Although the observed differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05), the proportional differences were congruent with international literature. Conclusion Acute use of substances among self-harm patients warrants more focused research and clinical attention particularly in the context of reducing utilisation of scarce medical resources.
dc.identifier.apacitationBreet, E., Bantjes, J., & Lewis, I. (2018). Substance use and self-harm: a cross-sectional study of the prevalence, correlates and patterns of medical service utilisation among patients admitted to a South African hospital. <i>BMC Health Services Research</i>, http://hdl.handle.net/11427/27929en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationBreet, Elsie, Jason Bantjes, and Ian Lewis "Substance use and self-harm: a cross-sectional study of the prevalence, correlates and patterns of medical service utilisation among patients admitted to a South African hospital." <i>BMC Health Services Research</i> (2018) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/27929en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationBreet, E., Bantjes, J., & Lewis, I. (2018). Substance use and self-harm: a cross-sectional study of the prevalence, correlates and patterns of medical service utilisation among patients admitted to a South African hospital. BMC health services research, 18(1), 157.
dc.identifier.ris TY - Journal Article AU - Breet, Elsie AU - Bantjes, Jason AU - Lewis, Ian AB - Abstract Background Substance use is a potentially modifiable risk factor for suicidal behaviour. Little is known about the epidemiology of substance use among self-harm patients in South Africa. This study set out to collect epidemiological data about the prevalence, correlates, and patterns of medical service utilisation among self-harm patients who used substances at the time of self-injury. Methods Data from 238 consecutive self-harm patients treated at an urban hospital in South Africa were analysed using bivariate and multivariate statistics. Results Approximately 20% of patients reported substance use at the time of self-harm. When compared to other self-harm patients, higher rates of patients who had used substances: had depressed levels of consciousness on admission; utilised more medical resources and required longer hospital admissions; cited relationship difficulties and financial concerns as reasons for their self-harm; reported a previous episode of self-harm; and intended to die as a result of their injuries. Although the observed differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05), the proportional differences were congruent with international literature. Conclusion Acute use of substances among self-harm patients warrants more focused research and clinical attention particularly in the context of reducing utilisation of scarce medical resources. DA - 2018-03-06 DB - OpenUCT DO - 10.1186/s12913-018-2963-7 DP - University of Cape Town J1 - BMC Health Services Research LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2018 T1 - Substance use and self-harm: a cross-sectional study of the prevalence, correlates and patterns of medical service utilisation among patients admitted to a South African hospital TI - Substance use and self-harm: a cross-sectional study of the prevalence, correlates and patterns of medical service utilisation among patients admitted to a South African hospital UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/27929 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12913-018-2963-7
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/27929
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationBreet E, Bantjes J, Lewis I. Substance use and self-harm: a cross-sectional study of the prevalence, correlates and patterns of medical service utilisation among patients admitted to a South African hospital. BMC Health Services Research. 2018; http://hdl.handle.net/11427/27929.en_ZA
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherBioMed Central
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Psychiatry and Mental Healthen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Health Sciencesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.rights.holderThe Author(s).
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.sourceBMC Health Services Research
dc.source.urihttps://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/
dc.subject.otherSubstance use
dc.subject.otherSuicidal behaviour
dc.subject.otherSelf-harm
dc.subject.otherMedical service utilisation
dc.subject.otherAcute use of substances
dc.titleSubstance use and self-harm: a cross-sectional study of the prevalence, correlates and patterns of medical service utilisation among patients admitted to a South African hospital
dc.typeJournal Article
uct.type.filetypeText
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