Self-inflicted ingestion of harmful chemicals in adolescents and adults: Risk factors and characteristics

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Abstract Background: Injury due to ingestion of harmful chemicals has become an area of concern globally. A specific category of such injuries is those that are self-inflicted. Although intentionality for self-infliction may be difficult to determine, key explanatory risks and demographic factors may contribute towards a better understanding of self-inflicted and harmful chemical ingestion injuries. Methods: This study used secondary data that had been collected on burn injuries due to injection of harmful chemicals in a sample of South Africans from low-income communities close to major metropolitan centres. Logistic regression was used to determine how the risk for self-inflicted ingestion was differentiated from ingestion due to the actions of another person (other-inflicted ingestion) by sex and age cohort of the victim, and the presence of alcohol by examining paraffin ingestion versus that of other chemicals. Results:The current findings indicate that sex, age cohort, presence of alcohol, and chemicals other than paraffin are key explanatory factors for an increased risk for self-inflicted ingestion of harmful chemicals. Conclusions: The study empirically confirms the role of several key risk factors in what remains a largely unreported and understudied phenomenon. The findings contribute towards improved safety policies on availability and sale of chemical products and more focussed community interventions for at-risk individuals such as females and young people. It also flags the importance of assessing for alcohol use and alcohol use disorders at hospital admission of self-ingestion injuries.

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