@article{ref1,
title="Self-harm, substance use and psychological distress in the Australian general population",
journal="Addiction",
year="2013",
author="Moller, Carl I. and Tait, Robert J. and Byrne, Don G.",
volume="108",
number="1",
pages="211-220",
abstract="AIMS: To examine predictors of self-harm, especially substance use and psychological distress, in an Australian adult general population sample. DESIGN: Sequential-cohort design with follow-up every four years. SETTING: Australian general population. PARTICIPANTS: A random sample of adults aged 20-24 and 40-44 years (at baseline) living in and around the Australian Capital Territory. MEASUREMENTS: Self-report survey including items on four common forms of self-harm. Psychological distress was indexed by the combined Goldberg Anxiety and Depression scale scores and alcohol problems by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). FINDINGS: 4,160 people (84% of baseline) were re-interviewed at eight years: 4126 reported their self-harm status. Past year self-harm was reported by 8.2% (95% CI 7.4-9.0%) of participants (males: 9.3% (8.0-10.6%), females: 7.3% (6.2-8.4%)). Several forms of substance use - smoking (odds ratio = 1.52), marijuana use (odds ratio = 1.77), and drinking alcohol at a level likely to cause dependence (AUDIT score > 20) (odds ratio = 2.08) - were independently predictive of past year self-harm. Additional key risk factors for self-harm in the past year were childhood sexual abuse by a parent (odds ratio = 3.07), bisexual orientation (odds ratio = 2.65), younger age (odds ratio = 2.23) and male gender (odds ratio = 1.86). Other independent predictors were years of education, adverse life events, psychological distress and financial strain. CONCLUSIONS: Self-harm in young and middle-aged adults appears to be associated with current smoking, marijuana and &quot;dependent&quot; alcohol use. Other independent predictors include younger age, male gender, bisexual orientation, financial strain, education level, psychological distress, adverse life events and sexual abuse by a parent.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0965-2140",
doi="10.1111/j.1360-0443.2012.04021.x",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2012.04021.x"
}