Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36425612›Full record

ArticleThe Lancet regional health. Western Pacific2023

Associations between workers' compensation and self-harm: A retrospective case-series study of hospital admissions data.

Tania L King, George Disney, Georgina Sutherland, Anne Kavanagh, Matthew J Spittal, Koen Simons

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Workplace Injury Compensation and Mental Health and Self-Harm Outcomes: A Systematic Review.New solutions : a journal of environmental and occupational health policy : NS · 2024
    Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Earlier Orthopaedic Surgeon Evaluation of Workers' Compensation Associated With Higher Return to Full Duty After Shoulder Arthroscopy.Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews · 2025
    Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Tania L KingCentre for Health Equity, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Australia.
George DisneyCentre for Health Equity, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Australia.
Georgina SutherlandCentre for Health Equity, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Australia.
Anne KavanaghCentre for Health Equity, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Australia.
Matthew J SpittalCentre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Australia.
Koen SimonsCentre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: While workers' compensation schemes aim to assist and support injured workers, there is some evidence that the process of pursuing a compensation claim may be extremely stressful for workers. This research aimed to compare hospital admissions for self-harm among workers' compensation claimants and non-claimants. Methods: A retrospective case-series design, this study used hospital admissions data for 42,567 patients (2011-2018) to estimate rates of hospital admission for intentional self-harm and 'self-harm and probable self-harm' (due to intentional self-harm, poisoning, or undetermined intent) and compare these between workers' compensation claimants and non-claimants. Rates were stratified by gender and calculated for each age group. Findings: For males, there was no observable difference between claimants and non-claimants for admission due to intentional self-harm. For female claimants, the incidence rate for admission for intentional self-harm was higher than non-claimants (rate ratio (RR) 2.4, 95%CI 1.8-3.2, risk difference (RD) 47.7 per 100,000 person-years). For the combined category of 'self-harm and probable self-harm', the incidence rate was elevated in both male (RR 5.8, 95%CI 5.0-6.6, RD 167.7 per 100,000 person-years) and female workers' compensation claimants (RR 3.4, 95%CI 2.8-4.2, RD 114.8 per 100,000 person-years) relative to non-claimants. Interpretation: Female workers' compensation claimants appear to have elevated rates of admission for intentional self-harm and 'self-harm and probable self-harm' compared to non-claimants. Male claimants appear to have increased rates of hospital admission for 'self-harm and probable self-harm'. This suggests that the process of pursuing workers' compensation may be associated with increased risk of self-harm, and highlights a need for further research. Funding: Suicide Prevention Australia Innovation Grant.

Indexed as

Hospital admissionMental healthSelf-harmWorkers’ compensation

Identifiers

PMID36425612
PMCPMC9679691

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.