An Investigation of Differences Between Self‐Injurious Behavior and Suicide Attempts in a Sample of Adolescents

Abstract

Data from 390 high school students were collected to examine potential differences between adolescents who had attempted suicide and those who engaged in self‐injurious behavior on measures of depression, suicidal ideation, and attitudes toward life and death. Significant differences were found between controls and the self‐harm groups on all dependent variables. A significant difference on attitudes toward life was found between the self‐injury and suicide attempt groups. Post‐hoc regression analyses showed that measures of depression, suicide ideation, and attitudes towards life predicted participants' self‐harm categorization. These findings provide preliminary evidence that self‐injurious behavior is different from attempted suicide among a community sample of adolescents.