The association of childhood adversities and mental health problems with dual-harm in individuals with serious aggressive behaviors

BACKGROUND: The coexistence of self-harm and aggression, which is referred to as dual-harm, is commonly seen in forensic population. Self-harm and aggression have often been studied separately, previous studies on risk factors of aggression or self-harm mainly focused on childhood adversities, emotional regulation, impulsivity and psychopathology, given their importance in the two behaviors. However, the factors associated with dual-harm remain unclear. This study aimed to explore potential risk factors associated with co-occurring self-harm among individuals with serious aggressive behaviors. METHODS: This multi-center, cross-sectional case-control study was conducted from May 2013 to January 2016 and involved seven qualified forensic institutes located in seven provinces in China. Participants were individuals with serious aggressive behaviors and were suspected to have mental disorders. Lifetime history of self-harm was obtained by a self-report questionnaire, and serious aggressive behaviors were assessed with the use of participants’ forensic archive. Sociodemographic and clinical information were collected using a self-designed standardized data collection form, and childhood adversities was assessed using a clinician-rated scale designed by our research team. The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) was used to assess psychopathic traits and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) was used to assess psychiatric symptoms of the participants. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to analyze the relevant factors for dual-harm. RESULTS: A total of 423 individuals with serious aggressive behaviors were enrolled in the current study. Of them, 74 (17.5%) with self-harm history assigned into the dual-harm group (D-H) and 349 (82.5%) without self-harm history assigned into the aggression-only group (A-O). According to the binary logistic regression analysis, current diagnosis of mood disorder (OR = 3.2, 95%CI: 1.2–8.5), child abuse (OR = 2.8, 95%CI: 1.3–6.2), parental death (OR = 3.0, 95%CI: 1.2–7.5), and the score of the affective subscale in BPRS (OR = 1.7, 95%CI: 1.3–2.4) were significantly associated with dual-harm. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested the necessity of integrated evaluation of self-harm among individuals with serious aggressive behaviors. Childhood adversities and psychiatric symptoms in this population require special attention. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12888-022-04027-6.