Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37161898›Full record

ArticleEpidemiology and psychiatric sciences2023

Maternal incarceration increases the risk of self-harm but not suicide: a matched cohort study.

Craig Cumming, Megan F Bell, Leonie Segal, Matthew J Spittal, Stuart A Kinner, Susan Dennison, Sharon Dawe, David B Preen

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 25% of its field
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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. 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

8 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Craig CummingSchool of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2556-3294
Megan F BellSchool of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7279-6018
Leonie SegalAustralian Centre for Precision Health, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.
Matthew J SpittalMelbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2841-1536
Stuart A KinnerCentre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
Susan DennisonGriffith Criminology Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.
Sharon DaweSchool of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.
David B PreenSchool of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia.
Griffith University · AUThe University of Western Australia · AUThe University of Melbourne · AUUniversity of South Australia · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsChildren of incarcerated mothers are at increased risk of experiencing multiple adversity such as poverty, mental illness and contact with child protection services (CPS), including being taken into out of home care (OOHC). However, little is known about whether these children are at increased risk of suicide or self-harm compared to children not exposed to maternal incarceration or about the factors that may contribute to this. We aimed to investigate differences in the risk of suicide and self-harm between children exposed to maternal incarceration and those not exposed and examine how socio-demographic factors, maternal mental illness and CPS contact (with or without OOHC) may affect these outcomes.

methodsWe used a retrospective matched cohort study design, comparing 7674 children exposed to maternal incarceration with 7674 non-exposed children. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression to compare the risk of suicide and self-harm between exposed and non-exposed groups, controlling for geographical remoteness, CPS contact and maternal mental illness.

resultsThere was no significant difference in the rate of suicide (rate ratio [RR] = 1.49; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.78, 2.87) or risk of suicide (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 0.92; 95% CI: 0.43, 1.96) between the two groups. However, the exposed group had a significantly higher rate of self-harm (RR = 2.83; 95% CI: 2.50, 3.21) and a significantly higher risk of self-harm (aHR = 1.74; 95% CI: 1.45, 2.09) compared to those non-exposed. CPS contact with or without OOHC was independently associated with an increased risk of self-harm for both groups.

conclusionChildren exposed to maternal incarceration are at an increased risk of self-harm and should be prioritized to receive targeted, multimodal support that continues after the mother's release from prison. The association between CPS contact and self-harm warrants further research.

Indexed as

Self-Injurious BehaviorSuicideChildCohort StudiesFemaleHumansMothersRetrospective Studieschild abusemental healthself-injurious behavioursocial environmentsuicide

Identifiers

PMID37161898
PMCPMC10227533
OpenAlexW4376131343

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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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.