@article{ref1,
title="Early impacts of the 'National Suicide Prevention Trial' on trends in suicide and hospital admissions for self-harm in Australia",
journal="Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry",
year="2023",
author="Page, Andrew and Pirkis, Jane and Bandara, Piumee and Oostermeijer, Sanne and Hall, Teresa and Burgess, Philip M. and Harris, Meredith and Currier, Dianne",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="OBJECTIVES: The National Suicide Prevention Trial was announced by the Australian Government in 2016 and aimed to prevent suicidal behaviour in 12 trial sites (representing a population of ~8 million). This study investigated the early population-level impact of the National Suicide Prevention Trial activity on rates of suicide and hospital admissions for self-harm in comparison to control areas. <br><br>METHODS: Relative and absolute differences in monthly rates of suicide and hospital admissions for self-harm were compared in the period after the National Suicide Prevention Trial implementation (July 2017-November 2020) to the period prior to implementation (January 2010-June 2017) in (1) 'National Suicide Prevention Trial areas' and (2) 'Control areas', using a difference-in-difference method in a series of negative binomial models. Analyses also investigated whether associations for suicide and self-harm rates differed by key socio-demographic factors, namely sex, age group, area socio-economic status and urban-rural residence. <br><br>RESULTS: There were no substantial differences between 'National Suicide Prevention Trial areas' and 'Control areas' in rates of suicide (2% relative decrease, relative risk = 0.98, 95% confidence interval = [0.91, 1.06]) or self-harm (1% relative decrease, relative risk = 0.99, 95% confidence interval = [0.96, 1.02]), adjusting for sex, age group and socio-economic status. Stronger relative decreases in self-harm only were evident for those aged 50-64 years, high socio-economic status areas, metropolitan and remote geographic areas. <br><br>CONCLUSION: There was limited evidence that the National Suicide Prevention Trial resulted in reductions in suicide or hospital admissions for self-harm during the first 4 years of implementation. Continued monitoring of trends with timely data is imperative over the next 2-3 years to ascertain whether there are any subsequent impacts of National Suicide Prevention Trial activities.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0004-8674",
doi="10.1177/00048674231166330",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/00048674231166330"
}