Profile of self-harming patients admitted in a South African hospital
Journal of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Profile of self-harming patients admitted in a South African hospital | |
| Creator | Senyolo, Mohale V. Govender, Indiran Bongongo, Tombo | |
| Description | Background: Self-harm, as intentionally hurting oneself, has grown to be a major public health issue in recent years. Such act can be carried out without the deliberate intent to kill oneself. This study aimed to profile self-harming patients admitted to a South African hospital.Methods: A cross-sectional design based on retrospective record review of self-harming patients between June 2022 and May 2023 at Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital (DGMAH).Results: Out of 223 records retrieved, the participants’ mean age was 24.6 years. Their ages ranged from 13 years to 75 years. The majority were single (n = 198; 89.56%), unemployed (n = 103; 46.19%) and did not have any comorbidities (n = 171; 76.68%). Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (n = 19; 8.52%) was the most common comorbidity. Overdose and poisoning (n = 220; 98.65%) are common methods utilised, and with high rate happened in October (n = 39; 17.65%). The most common reasons were interpersonal, including family conflict (69; 30.80%) and relationship issues (n = 61; 27.23%). Age was linked with sex, comorbidities, method and reason (p = 0.008). Conflict was linked with females and relationship problems with males (p = 0.008).Conclusion: Self-harm is common among single females under 40 years, often because of romantic and family conflicts. Age and sex influence risk, with younger females using over-the-counter medication, older females with retroviral diseases using prescriptions. Further research, including prevention, may assist in the management of the behavior.Contribution: An alarming and growing public health risk has been raised. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2025-04-30 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/jcmsa.v3i1.114 | |
| Source | Journal of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa; Vol 3, No 1 (2025); 7 pages 2960-110X 3105-4331 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://jcmsa.org.za/index.php/jcmsa/article/view/114/546
https://jcmsa.org.za/index.php/jcmsa/article/view/114/547
https://jcmsa.org.za/index.php/jcmsa/article/view/114/548
https://jcmsa.org.za/index.php/jcmsa/article/view/114/549
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