Likelihood of later hospital admission for deliberate self-harm may be influenced by various risk factors in young people smoking.

The article aims to identify the risk factors in young people for episodes of deliberate self-harm (DSH) by linking hospital administrative records with cross-sectional survey data on 2,736 children living in Perth, Western Australia from 1993 to 2007. It cites emotional problems and inconsistent parenting as among the key risk factors for DSH. It also uncovered an association between primary carer smoking and hospitalization for DSH in young children, which may be connected to mental health problems and socio-economic deprivation.