The prevalence of self-reported deliberate self harm in Irish adolescents
Open Access
- 28 February 2008
- journal article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in BMC Public Health
- Vol. 8 (1), 79
- https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-8-79
Abstract
Background Deliberate self harm is major public health problem, in particular among young people. Although several studies have addressed the prevalence of deliberate self harm among young people in the community, little is known about the extent to which deliberate self harm comes to the attention of medical services, the self harm methods used and the underlying motives. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of deliberate self harm in adolescents and the methods, motives and help seeking behaviour associated with this behaviour. Methods A cross-sectional survey using an anonymous self-report questionnaire was administered in 39 schools in the Southern area of the Health Service Executive, Ireland. Of the 4,583 adolescents aged 15–17 years who were invited to participate in the survey, 3,881 adolescents took part (response: 85%). Results A lifetime history of DSH was reported by 9.1% (n = 333) of the adolescents. DSH was more common among females (13.9%) than males (4.3%). Self cutting (66.0%) and overdose (35.2%) were the most common DSH methods. A minority of participants accessed medical services after engaging in DSH (15.3%). Conclusion DSH is a significant problem in Irish adolescents and the vast majority do not come to the attention of health services. Innovative solutions for prevention and intervention are required to tackle DSH in adolescents.Keywords
This publication has 15 references indexed in Scilit:
- Deliberate self-harm in young people: differences in prevalence and risk factors between The Netherlands and BelgiumEuropean Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2007
- Challenging times: Prevalence of psychiatric disorders and suicidal behaviours in Irish adolescentsJournal of Adolescence, 2006
- Factors associated with suicidal phenomena in adolescents: A systematic review of population-based studiesClinical Psychology Review, 2004
- Challenging times: a study to detect Irish adolescents at risk of psychiatric disorders and suicidal ideationJournal of Adolescence, 2004
- Why People Engage in Parasuicide: A Cross‐Cultural Study of IntentionsSuicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 2002
- Reasons for Adolescent Suicide Attempts: Associations With Psychological FunctioningJournal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 1998
- Suicidal ideation and acts of self-harm among Dublin school childrenJournal of Adolescence, 1998
- Youth attitudes to services in IrelandPsychiatric Bulletin, 1998
- Psychological correlates of help-seeking attitudes among children and adolescents.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 1994
- Differences in reasons for taking overdoses in high and low hopelessness groupsPsychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 1986