Takeaway
- <3% of preadolescent children in the United Kingdom reported self-injurious thoughts in the last month.
- <3% reported self-harm behaviors, with reports more common in boys than girls.
Why this matters
- Although the prevalence of self-injurious thoughts was low, children who reported these thoughts had significantly higher odds of having depression, anxiety, and oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder.
Study design
- This study assessed self-injurious thoughts and behaviors in a nationally representative sample of preadolescent individuals (age, <13 years; N=13,126) in Great Britain.
- Funding: National Institute of Mental Health.
Key results
- Results among preadolescent children:
- 2.18% pure ideators (self-injurious thoughts without history of behavior).
- 0.80% children with past-month self-injurious behaviors.
- 2.41% children with lifetime self-injury.
- Sociodemographic factors associated with current self-injurious thoughts (aORs) were:
- Age: 1.22 (P<.001).
- Male sex: 1.35 (P=.02).
- Both parents being unemployed: 1.61 (P=.003).
- Poor parental psychiatric functioning: 1.14 (P<.001).
- Depression: 7.87 (P<.001).
- Anxiety: 4.32 (P<.001).
- Oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder: 2.45 (P<.001).
- Being a member of an underrepresented ethnicity was not related to self-injurious thoughts (aOR, 0.81; P=.30) or behaviors (aOR, 0.67; P=.07).
Limitations
- Only preadolescent age groups were included.
Coauthored with Chitra Ravi, MPharm
References
References