Background: In England and Wales, women in prison make up a minority (<5%) of the total custodial population, yet acts of self-harm are around five times more common among incarcerated women. While there has been a multiagency effort to improve how acts of self-harm are documented across prisons, the patterns and functions of self-harm for women in prison have not yet been fully addressed. Aims: We aimed to determine the patterns, prevalence, and functions of self-harm among women in prison through a mixed-methods study. Method: A total of 108 women with a history of self-harm were interviewed across three female prisons. Participants completed a structured questionnaire detailing their experiences of self-harm across prison and community settings. Results: We found that women in prison who frequently self-harmed disclosed high levels of trauma: past experiences of domestic violence (81.5%), childhood sexual abuse (66.7%), and adult sexual abuse (60.2%). Prevalent methods of recent in-prison acts of self-harm involved cutting, followed by ligaturing. Limitations: The study used a cross-sectional design, self-reported data, and featured a subset of women identified as being at high-risk of self-harm. Conclusion: Motivations behind acts of self-harm by women in prison are complex. Triggers appear to be past trauma, deteriorating mental health, and separation from children or family.

中文翻译：

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从监狱中自残女性的叙述中吸取的教训。

背景：在英格兰和威尔士，监狱中的女性占总羁押人口的少数 (<5%)，但在被监禁的女性中，自残行为的发生率大约是其五倍。虽然多机构努力改善监狱中自残行为的记录方式，但监狱中女性自残的模式和功能尚未得到充分解决。目的：我们旨在通过一项混合方法研究来确定狱中女性自残的模式、发生率和功能。方法：共采访了三所女子监狱的 108 名有自残史的女性。参与者完成了一份结构化问卷，详细说明了他们在监狱和社区环境中自残的经历。结果：我们发现监狱中经常自残的女性表现出高度的创伤：过去的家庭暴力 (81.5%)、儿童性虐待 (66.7%) 和成人性虐待 (60.2%) 的经历。最近监狱里自残行为的流行方法包括切割，然后是结扎。局限性：该研究使用了横断面设计、自我报告的数据，并以被确定为自残高风险的女性子集为特征。结论：狱中女性自残行为背后的动机是复杂的。触发因素似乎是过去的创伤、不断恶化的心理健康以及与孩子或家人的分离。并以被确定为自残高风险的女性子集为特色。结论：狱中女性自残行为背后的动机是复杂的。触发因素似乎是过去的创伤、不断恶化的心理健康以及与孩子或家人的分离。并以被确定为自残高风险的女性子集为特色。结论：狱中女性自残行为背后的动机是复杂的。触发因素似乎是过去的创伤、不断恶化的心理健康以及与孩子或家人的分离。