Injuries, Poisonings, and Other External Causes of Morbidity among Drug Crime Offenders: A Follow-Up Study of Former Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatients.
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Introduction: Criminal offenders have high incidences of injury- and substance-related emergency department visits. Very few studies focus on drug crime offenders or the medical specialties involved in treating these offenders. We aimed to study how drug crime offenders' treatment events in specialized health care due to injuries, poisonings, or other external causes of morbidity differed from treatment of non-criminal controls and which of the medical specialties were involved in their care.
Methods: The study population included 508 former adolescent psychiatric inpatients (age 13-17 years), who were followed up through Finnish national registers. A total of 60 had committed a drug crime during the 10-15 years' follow-up. They were matched with 120 non-criminal controls from the study population. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (Cl) for drug crime offending were assessed using a Cox regression model.
Results: Almost 90% of drug crime offenders had treatment events in specialized health care due to injuries, poisonings, and other external causes of morbidity, compared to 50% of non-criminals. The majority of the drug crime offenders had been treated for accidental injuries (65% vs. 29%; p < 0.001) in comparison to non-criminal controls. More drug crime offenders had been treated for intentional poisonings (42% vs. 11%; p < 0.001) than non-criminal controls. For drug crime offenders, the lifetime probability of a treatment event due to poisoning was almost doubled (HR: 1.89, 95% CI: 1.26-2.84; p = 0.002), and for treatments due to injury, there was a 2.5-fold increase (HR: 2.54, 95% CI: 1.69-3.82; p < 0.001) in comparison to non-criminal controls.
Conclusion: In emergency care, substance use screening and referral for appropriate psychiatric and substance abuse treatment services should be considered for all adolescents and young adults attending hospitals due to injuries or poisonings.
期刊介绍:
''European Addiction Research'' is a unique international scientific journal for the rapid publication of innovative research covering all aspects of addiction and related disorders. Representing an interdisciplinary forum for the exchange of recent data and expert opinion, it reflects the importance of a comprehensive approach to resolve the problems of substance abuse and addiction in Europe. Coverage ranges from clinical and research advances in the fields of psychiatry, biology, pharmacology and epidemiology to social, and legal implications of policy decisions. The goal is to facilitate open discussion among those interested in the scientific and clinical aspects of prevention, diagnosis and therapy as well as dealing with legal issues. An excellent range of original papers makes ‘European Addiction Research’ the forum of choice for all.