Background Risk Factors Associated with Parasuicide among Male Prison Inmates

This study identified selected factors of state prison inmates' preincarceration background that were associated with the probability of parasuicide in a stratified random sample of 123 male inmates with and without histories of parasuicide. Three domains theoretically linked to parasuicide were examined: problem histories, maladaptive social network members or models, and life events. The results indicated that, following inmates' own psychiatric history, the parasuicide and arrest record of significant network members were the strongest background predictors of inmates' parasuicide. Implications for clinical identification are discussed.