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Clinical Correlates of Deliberate Self-Harm Among Migrant Trauma-Affected Subgroups

Introduction: Studies have shown that exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) during the migration process has serious consequences on mental health. Migrants with a history of PTEs are more likely to inflict deliberate self-harm (DSH), a spectrum of behavior that includes non-suicidal self-...

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Autores principales: Baralla, Francesca, Ventura, Martina, Negay, Nikolay, Di Napoli, Anteo, Petrelli, Alessio, Mirisola, Concetta, Sarchiapone, Marco
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8492940/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34630170
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.529361
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author Baralla, Francesca
Ventura, Martina
Negay, Nikolay
Di Napoli, Anteo
Petrelli, Alessio
Mirisola, Concetta
Sarchiapone, Marco
author_facet Baralla, Francesca
Ventura, Martina
Negay, Nikolay
Di Napoli, Anteo
Petrelli, Alessio
Mirisola, Concetta
Sarchiapone, Marco
author_sort Baralla, Francesca
collection PubMed
description Introduction: Studies have shown that exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) during the migration process has serious consequences on mental health. Migrants with a history of PTEs are more likely to inflict deliberate self-harm (DSH), a spectrum of behavior that includes non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). With reference to a nonclinical sample of trauma-exposed migrants, this study aims to explore the prevalence of DSH and to assess the association with sociodemographic characteristics and clinical conditions, with particular attention to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, resilience capabilities, and feelings of hopelessness. Methods: A sample of migrants underwent a baseline evaluation at an outpatient department of the National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty (INMP). Migrants with a history of torture, rape, or other severe forms of psychological, physical, or sexual violence were invited to undergo screening at the Institute's Mental Health Unit. Trauma-exposed migrants completed a series of self-report questionnaires that assessed the presence of PTSD, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, resilience, and feelings of hopelessness, in addition to DSH. Univariate and multivariate log-binomial regression models were used to test the association of age and clinical characteristic of migrants with DSH. Prevalence ratio (PR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) and p-values were estimated. Results: A total of 169 migrants (76.9% males), aged between 18 and 68 years, M = 28.93; SD = 8.77), were selected. Of the sample, 26.6% were frequently engaging in some form of DSH, and 30.2% were diagnosed with at least one trauma-related disorder. DSH behaviors were most common in single and unemployed migrants as well as in subjects with post-traumatic stress symptoms, feelings of anxiety, hopelessness, low capability of resilience, and suicidal ideation. Taking into account age and hopelessness, we found that PTSD and low resilience capabilities were associated with a higher risk of DSH [PR adj: 2.21; 95% CI: (1.30–3.75) and PR adj: 2.32; 95% CI: (1.16–4.62), respectively]. Conclusion: Given the association between trauma exposure and DSH among migrants, exploring the presence of DSH behavior within the immigrant community is crucial for the implementation of measures to develop intervention in a clinical setting.
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spelling pubmed-84929402021-10-07 Clinical Correlates of Deliberate Self-Harm Among Migrant Trauma-Affected Subgroups Baralla, Francesca Ventura, Martina Negay, Nikolay Di Napoli, Anteo Petrelli, Alessio Mirisola, Concetta Sarchiapone, Marco Front Psychiatry Psychiatry Introduction: Studies have shown that exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) during the migration process has serious consequences on mental health. Migrants with a history of PTEs are more likely to inflict deliberate self-harm (DSH), a spectrum of behavior that includes non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). With reference to a nonclinical sample of trauma-exposed migrants, this study aims to explore the prevalence of DSH and to assess the association with sociodemographic characteristics and clinical conditions, with particular attention to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, resilience capabilities, and feelings of hopelessness. Methods: A sample of migrants underwent a baseline evaluation at an outpatient department of the National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty (INMP). Migrants with a history of torture, rape, or other severe forms of psychological, physical, or sexual violence were invited to undergo screening at the Institute's Mental Health Unit. Trauma-exposed migrants completed a series of self-report questionnaires that assessed the presence of PTSD, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, resilience, and feelings of hopelessness, in addition to DSH. Univariate and multivariate log-binomial regression models were used to test the association of age and clinical characteristic of migrants with DSH. Prevalence ratio (PR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) and p-values were estimated. Results: A total of 169 migrants (76.9% males), aged between 18 and 68 years, M = 28.93; SD = 8.77), were selected. Of the sample, 26.6% were frequently engaging in some form of DSH, and 30.2% were diagnosed with at least one trauma-related disorder. DSH behaviors were most common in single and unemployed migrants as well as in subjects with post-traumatic stress symptoms, feelings of anxiety, hopelessness, low capability of resilience, and suicidal ideation. Taking into account age and hopelessness, we found that PTSD and low resilience capabilities were associated with a higher risk of DSH [PR adj: 2.21; 95% CI: (1.30–3.75) and PR adj: 2.32; 95% CI: (1.16–4.62), respectively]. Conclusion: Given the association between trauma exposure and DSH among migrants, exploring the presence of DSH behavior within the immigrant community is crucial for the implementation of measures to develop intervention in a clinical setting. Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-09-22 /pmc/articles/PMC8492940/ /pubmed/34630170 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.529361 Text en Copyright © 2021 Baralla, Ventura, Negay, Di Napoli, Petrelli, Mirisola and Sarchiapone. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
spellingShingle Psychiatry
Baralla, Francesca
Ventura, Martina
Negay, Nikolay
Di Napoli, Anteo
Petrelli, Alessio
Mirisola, Concetta
Sarchiapone, Marco
Clinical Correlates of Deliberate Self-Harm Among Migrant Trauma-Affected Subgroups
title Clinical Correlates of Deliberate Self-Harm Among Migrant Trauma-Affected Subgroups
title_full Clinical Correlates of Deliberate Self-Harm Among Migrant Trauma-Affected Subgroups
title_fullStr Clinical Correlates of Deliberate Self-Harm Among Migrant Trauma-Affected Subgroups
title_full_unstemmed Clinical Correlates of Deliberate Self-Harm Among Migrant Trauma-Affected Subgroups
title_short Clinical Correlates of Deliberate Self-Harm Among Migrant Trauma-Affected Subgroups
title_sort clinical correlates of deliberate self-harm among migrant trauma-affected subgroups
topic Psychiatry
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8492940/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34630170
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.529361
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