Variation in deliberate self-harm around Christmas and New Year

Helen Bergen and Keith Hawton

Social Science & Medicine, 2007, vol. 65, issue 5, 855-867

Abstract: Seasonal and temporal variations in suicide by patient and demographic groups, though important, have been investigated infrequently. This study examined patterns of non-fatal deliberate self-harm (DSH) during Christmas and New Year (from December 16th to January 6th) by specific patient and demographic group. The sample comprised 19,346 people who presented with 31,369 episodes of DSH to a general hospital Emergency Department in Oxford, UK. Autoregression analysis of all episodes from 1976 to 2003 (controlling for day of the week, month and year) revealed significant reductions (-30% to -40%) in the occurrence of DSH compared with expected numbers on each day from December 19th to 26th (except the 23rd), though no significant increase was found on any of the subsequent 11 days. When analysed separately, young people aged under 25 years showed decreases (-60%) in the occurrence of DSH on several days throughout Christmas (p

Keywords: UK; Deliberate; self-harm; Holidays; Seasonal; variation; Christmas; New; Year (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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