Psychotic-like experiences, suicidal thoughts and behaviours, and non-suicidal self-injury in young offenders

Research has indicated that both suicidal thoughts and behaviours (STBs) and the prevalence of psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) are elevated in incarcerated young offenders. However, as yet, there has been no research on the PLEs-STBs association in this population. To address this research gap, the current study examined the association between PLEs and STBs (i.e., suicidal ideation and suicide attempts), and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in a sample of male adolescents who were incarcerated in Northern Russia.

Semi-structured psychiatric interviews and self-reports were used to obtain information from 370 young offenders aged 14 to 19 (mean age 16.4 years). The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) was used to assess PLEs, STBs, NSSI, and co-occurring psychiatric disorders. Binary and ordinal logistic regression were used to assess associations.

Almost one-third of the sample (31.6 %) had lifetime PLEs. Lifetime PLEs were significantly associated with STBs in an analysis that also included psychiatric disorders (OR = 1.79). A similar result was obtained for the association between PLEs and NSSI (OR = 2.02), when co-occurring psychiatric disorders were included in the analysis.

PLEs were prevalent in this sample of male adolescents serving custodial sentences and associated with higher odds of both STBs and NSSI. Screening for PLEs in the context of broader mental health assessments and interventions during institutional placement may be important for reducing STBs and NSSI in this population.