- National suicide data
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
- National Suicide and Self-harm Monitoring System
Australian Youth Self-Harm Atlas
The following summary is based on data released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) from the National Suicide and Self-Harm Monitoring System (the System). The System was established as part of the national effort to address suicide and self-harm in Australia by improving the quality, accessibility and timeliness of data on deaths by suicide and on self-harming and suicidal behaviours.
When exploring suicide data, it is important to remember that behind the numbers are people, families and communities impacted by suicide in Australia. The reasons people take their own life are complex, and often there is no single reason why a person attempts or dies by suicide. By increasing our understanding of data alongside the lived experience of distress, we will increase the opportunity to save lives.
For guidance on reporting on suicide and self-harm data, please refer to the Mindframe Quick Reference Guide.
Released by AIHW on Wednesday, 28 September 2023
The Australian Youth Self-Harm Atlas Study investigated self-harm, suicidal thoughts and behaviours, as well as risk and protective factors, among young people aged 12-17 years in regions throughout Australia. This study was conducted by the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) Berghofer, in partnership with leading lived experience organisation, Roses in the Ocean. Aspects of the quantitative findings of the study have now been incorporated into the National Suicide and Self-harm Monitoring System with this update.
The study combined data from the nationally representative Young Minds Matter (YMM) survey, 2016 Census and 2019 Australian Bureau of Statistics Estimated Resident Population data. Information about self-harm, suicidal thoughts and behaviours and related risk and protective factors from the YMM survey were used to generate estimates for young people in local areas throughout Australia based on socio-demographic characteristics.
More detail on the generation of these estimates is available here. Importantly, the estimates are generated from modelling and may be different to the number of actual cases of youth self-harm and suicidal thoughts and behaviours in communities.
The National Suicide and Self-harm Monitoring System presents the following self-harm, suicidal thoughts and behaviours, and related risk and protective factor outcomes from the Australian Youth Self-Harm Atlas study for a 12-month period (2019):
- Self-harm (regardless of intent): self-injurious behaviour irrespective of intent or motivation, including behaviours with either suicidal or non-suicidal intent, or where intent is ambiguous.
- This is inclusive of non-suicidal self-harm and suicide attempt behaviour.
- Non-suicidal self-harm: self-injurious behaviour for which there is evidence that the person did not intend to kill themselves.
- Suicidal ideation/plans: thoughts of engaging in or planning suicide-related behaviour; without engaging in suicidal behaviour.
- Suicide attempt: non-fatal, self-directed, potentially self-injurious behaviours with an intent to die.
- Suicidality: suicidal thoughts or behaviours, including thoughts, plans and attempts.
These outcomes are presented in interactive maps of Primary Health Network, Statistical Area 3 (SA3) and Statistical Area 4 (SA4) areas.
Presenting local level data is useful to target and tailor support and interventions to individual communities. However, it is important to use caution when reporting about suicide and self-harm statistics in a local community so as not to add to distress or stigma. When reporting on trends in a local community, include the strengths and needs of those communities, and seek input from the local suicide prevention sector.
There is large variation across Australia for each of the above suicidal and self-harm related outcomes for young people. Areas in the Northern Territory had the highest prevalence of self-harm (regardless of intent).
There is a possible trend towards increasing prevalence of suicidal thoughts, behaviours and self-harm outcomes with increasing remoteness. However, estimates were unable to be generated for some more remote areas due to limited data from the YMM survey. The relationship between suicidal thoughts and behaviours, self-harm prevalence and remoteness were not able to be fully assessed.
Risk and protective factors
A second set of maps present the association between the prevalence of self-harm (regardless of intent) with the prevalence of the following risk and protective factors for SA3 areas*:
- Major depression and anxiety disorders among 12–17-year-olds: Young people, aged 12-17 years, who experience anxiety or depression over a 12-month period.
- Socio-economic status: The socio-economic characteristics of areas are categorised using the Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage (IRSAD). Higher IRSAD scores indicate relatively low financial disadvantage and high financial advantage.
- Percentage of 12-17-year-olds that are male: The proportion of 12-17-year-olds that are male.
The maps show that there is geographic variation between youth self-harm prevalence and the prevalence of these risk or protective factors across Australia. For example, areas could have:
- Both high prevalence of youth self-harm and high prevalence of particular risk or protective factors
- High prevalence of youth self-harm but low prevalence of particular risk or protective factors
- Low prevalence of youth self-harm but high prevalence of particular risk or protective factors
- Both low prevalence of self-harm and particular risk or protective factors.
These are shown in different colours on the maps. Note that a co-occurrence of youth self-harm and risk or protective factors does not imply the risk or protective factor may be causing self-harm.
*The prevalence of risk and protective factors for SA4 and PHN areas can be downloaded in Excel spreadsheet format.
Key findings:
Major depression and anxiety disorders
- Particularly across remote areas of Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia and Far North Queensland, higher youth self-harm prevalence was associated with higher prevalence of major depression and anxiety disorders among people aged 12-17 years.
- Predominantly in Victoria and Tasmania, there are outer regional and remote areas where lower self-harm prevalence is associated with lower depression and anxiety prevalence.
Socio-economic advantage and disadvantage
- Broadly, lower socio-economic advantage was associated with higher youth self-harm prevalence.
- However, mostly (but not exclusively) within major capital cities, there were areas in which higher socio-economic advantage was associated with higher youth self-harm.
- There are other areas, predominantly across western, central and far north-eastern New South Wales, western Victoria, and Tasmania, where lower socio-economic advantage was associated with lower youth self-harm.
Males aged 12-17 years
- Most areas in which youth self-harm prevalence is lower and the proportion of 12-17-year-olds that are male is higher are concentrated across Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales.
- There are also areas, largely across remote Western Australia, South Australia, Far North Queensland, and close to the east coast, where higher youth self-harm is associated with lower proportion of males aged 12-17 years.
