Interdisciplinary Research Institute On Social Issues (IRIS), UFR SMBH, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, UMR 8156-997, Paris, France.
Department of Legal and Social Medicine, Hôpital Jean-Verdier (AP-HP), 93140, Bondy, France.
BMC Psychiatry. 2022 Jan 4;22(1):11. doi: 10.1186/s12888-021-03653-w.
In northern countries, suicide rates among prisoners are at least three times higher for men and nine times higher for women than in the general population. The objective of this study is to describe the sociodemographic, penal, health characteristics and circumstances of suicide of French prisoners who died by suicide.
This study is an intermediate analysis of the French epidemiological surveillance program of suicides in prison. All suicides in prison in 2017-2018 in France were included in the study. Archival sociodemographic and penal data and specific data on the circumstances of the suicidal act were provided by the National Prison Service. Health data was provided by physicians working in prison using a standardized questionnaire.
In 2017-2018, 235 prisoners died by suicide. The suicide rate was 16.8/10 000 person-years. Among suicide cases, 94.9% were male, 27.2% were under 30, 25.1% were aged 30 to 39, 27.7% were aged 40 to 49 and 20.0% were 50 or older. At the time of suicide, 48.5% were on custodial remand. Incarceration is associated with a threefold increase in the frequency of anxio-depressive disorders (24.6% in prison versus 8.2% before prison). The week before the suicidal act, 60% of prisoners visited the health unit and a significant event was detected for 61% of all cases. Suicide was less than 1 week after prison entry for 11.9% of prisoners, corresponding to a suicide rate 6.4 (CI [4.3 - 9.5]) times higher than for the remaining time in prison, and was more than 1 year after entry for 33.7% of them.
The high frequency of events the week before suicide in our study suggests that events in prison could play a role in the occurrence of suicides. Comparative studies are needed to further explore the time association between events and suicide in prison. As most of prisoners who died by suicide visited the health unit the week before suicide, the identification of triggering factors could help psychiatrists and other health professionals to assess the short-term risk of suicide and to implement preventive measures.
在北方国家，囚犯中的自杀率男性至少比普通人群高 3 倍，女性至少高 9 倍。本研究的目的是描述法国因自杀而死亡的囚犯的社会人口学、刑罚、健康特征和自杀情况。
这是法国监狱自杀流行病学监测计划的中期分析。研究纳入了 2017-2018 年法国所有监狱中的自杀事件。国家监狱管理局提供了档案社会人口学和刑罚数据以及自杀行为具体情况数据。监狱医生使用标准化问卷提供健康数据。
2017-2018 年，235 名囚犯自杀。自杀率为 16.8/10000 人年。在自杀案例中，94.9%为男性，27.2%年龄在 30 岁以下，25.1%年龄在 30-39 岁，27.7%年龄在 40-49 岁，20.0%年龄在 50 岁及以上。自杀时，48.5%处于羁押候审状态。入狱使焦虑抑郁障碍的频率增加了三倍（监狱内为 24.6%，入狱前为 8.2%）。自杀行为发生前一周，60%的囚犯曾就诊于卫生所，所有案例中有 61%发现了重大事件。11.9%的囚犯在入狱不到 1 周后自杀，对应的入狱期间自杀率为 6.4（95%CI[4.3-9.5]）倍，33.7%的囚犯在入狱 1 年以上后自杀。
本研究中，自杀前一周发生重大事件的频率较高，这表明监狱内的事件可能在自杀发生中发挥作用。需要开展对比研究，以进一步探讨监狱内事件与自杀之间的时间关联。由于大多数自杀的囚犯在自杀前一周就诊于卫生所，因此识别触发因素可能有助于精神科医生和其他卫生专业人员评估短期自杀风险，并采取预防措施。
