Deliberate Self Harm in Adolescents: Self Report Survey in Schools in England

Overview

Journal BMJ

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2002 Nov 26

PMID 12446536

Citations 229

Authors

Keith Hawton

Karen Rodham

Emma Evans

Rosamund Weatherall

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence of deliberate self harm in adolescents and the factors associated with it.

Design: Cross sectional survey using anonymous self report questionnaire.

Setting: 41 schools in England.

Participants: 6020 pupils aged 15 and 16 years.

Main Outcome Measure: Deliberate self harm.

Results: 398 (6.9%) participants reported an act of deliberate self harm in the previous year that met study criteria. Only 12.6% of episodes had resulted in presentation to hospital. Deliberate self harm was more common in females than it was in males (11.2% v 3.2%; odds ratio 3.9, 95% confidence interval 3.1 to 4.9). In females the factors included in a multivariate logistic regression for deliberate self harm were recent self harm by friends, self harm by family members, drug misuse, depression, anxiety, impulsivity, and low self esteem. In males the factors were suicidal behaviour in friends and family members, drug use, and low self esteem.

Conclusions: Deliberate self harm is common in adolescents, especially females. School based mental health initiatives are needed. These could include approaches aimed at educating school pupils about mental health problems and screening for those at risk.

Citing Articles

Correlates of Mean Platelet Volume and Psychosocial factors in cases of Attempted Suicide: Study from a Rural Medical College of Central India.

Mishra Kshirod K , Pawar Gaurav B Indian J Psychol Med. 2025; :02537176241298999.

PMID: 39744417 PMC: 11686490. DOI: 10.1177/02537176241298999.

Early remission of deliberate self-harm predicts emotion regulation capacity in adulthood: 12.4 years follow-up of a randomized controlled trial of adolescents with repeated self-harm and borderline features.

Dibaj I, Tormoen A, Klungsoyr O, Morken K, Haga E, Dymbe K Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2024; .

PMID: 39470788 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-024-02602-8.

Frequency, Risk Factors, and Methods of Deliberate Self-Harm Observed in Medical Students and Doctors in Pakistan.

Mona S, Rehman M, Ahad A, Farooq A, Naz R, Rehman S Cureus. 2024; 16(9):e70068.

PMID: 39449951 PMC: 11499964. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.70068.

Psychometric Properties of Korean Version of Nonsuicidal Self-injury Inventory: Validation Study of Deliberate Self-harm Inventory.

Yang C, Hwang K, Lee H, Choi S, Lee S Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci. 2024; 22(4):669-678.

PMID: 39420614 PMC: 11494428. DOI: 10.9758/cpn.24.1208.

Global public concern of childhood and adolescence suicide: a new perspective and new strategies for suicide prevention in the post-pandemic era.

Kim S, Park J, Lee H, Lee H, Woo S, Kwon R World J Pediatr. 2024; 20(9):872-900.

PMID: 39008157 DOI: 10.1007/s12519-024-00828-9.

References

Gould M, Wallenstein S, Davidson L . Suicide clusters: a critical review. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 1989; 19(1):17-29. DOI: 10.1111/j.1943-278x.1989.tb00363.x. View

Kann L, Kinchen S, Williams B, Ross J, Lowry R, Grunbaum J . Youth risk behavior surveillance--United States, 1999. MMWR CDC Surveill Summ. 2002; 49(5):1-32. View

. Attempted suicide among high school students--United States, 1990. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1991; 40(37):633-5. View

Robson P . Development of a new self-report questionnaire to measure self esteem. Psychol Med. 1989; 19(2):513-8. DOI: 10.1017/s003329170001254x. View

White D, Leach C, Sims R, Atkinson M, Cottrell D . Validation of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale for use with adolescents. Br J Psychiatry. 2000; 175:452-4. DOI: 10.1192/bjp.175.5.452. View

Shaffer D, Gould M, Fisher P, Trautman P, Moreau D, Kleinman M . Psychiatric diagnosis in child and adolescent suicide. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1996; 53(4):339-48. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1996.01830040075012. View

Hazell P . Postvention after teenage suicide: an Australian experience. J Adolesc. 1991; 14(4):335-42. DOI: 10.1016/0140-1971(91)90002-9. View

Hawton K, Houston K, Shepperd R . Suicide in young people. Study of 174 cases, aged under 25 years, based on coroners' and medical records. Br J Psychiatry. 2000; 175:271-6. DOI: 10.1192/bjp.175.3.271. View

Plutchik R, van Praag H, Picard S, Conte H, Korn M . Is there a relation between the seriousness of suicidal intent and the lethality of the suicide attempt?. Psychiatry Res. 1989; 27(1):71-9. DOI: 10.1016/0165-1781(89)90011-5. View

10.

Brent D, Perper J, Moritz G, Allman C, Friend A, Roth C . Psychiatric risk factors for adolescent suicide: a case-control study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1993; 32(3):521-9. DOI: 10.1097/00004583-199305000-00006. View

11.

Hawton K, Fagg J, Simkin S . Deliberate self-poisoning and self-injury in children and adolescents under 16 years of age in Oxford, 1976-1993. Br J Psychiatry. 1996; 169(2):202-8. DOI: 10.1192/bjp.169.2.202. View

12.

Brent D, Bridge J, Johnson B, Connolly J . Suicidal behavior runs in families. A controlled family study of adolescent suicide victims. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1996; 53(12):1145-52. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1996.01830120085015. View

13.

Kerfoot M, Dyer E, Harrington V, Woodham A, Harrington R . Correlates and short-term course of self-poisoning in adolescents. Br J Psychiatry. 1996; 168(1):38-42. DOI: 10.1192/bjp.168.1.38. View

14.

Hawton K, Fagg J, Simkin S, Bale E, Bond A . Deliberate self-harm in adolescents in Oxford, 1985-1995. J Adolesc. 2000; 23(1):47-55. DOI: 10.1006/jado.1999.0290. View

15.

Bjarnason T, Thorlindsson T . Manifest predictors of past suicide attempts in a population of Icelandic adolescents. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 1994; 24(4):350-8. View