Investigation of mortality and morbidity associated with severe self-injurious behavior

A retrospective study was conducted to determine whether severe self-injurious behavior was associated with shortened lengths of life or greater sensory impairments for Minnesota Regional Treatment Center residents with developmental disabilities. The client records of 209 institutionalized individuals who died between January 1, 1980, and December 31, 1989, were reviewed. The data revealed that the 29 clients who exhibited severe self-injury did not live significantly shorter lives compared to matched cohorts without self-injury. However, those clients with severe self-injury were found to have a significantly higher incidence of vision and hearing impairments than did the matched cohorts. Implications of these findings were discussed.