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Journal Article

Citation

Laukkanen E, Rissanen ML, Tolmunen T, Kylma J, Hintikka J. Eur. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry 2013; 22(8): 501-510.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, Kuopio University Hospital, P.O. Box 1777, 70211, Kuopio, Finland, eila.laukkanen@kuh.fi.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s00787-013-0390-1

PMID

23423221

Abstract

Self-cutting as a form of self-harm is a common and multifaceted phenomenon among adolescents. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the location of self-cutting (arms or other areas of the body) could help to assess the severity of the underlying psychiatric problems. A sample of adolescents who reported self-cutting (n = 440) was drawn from a large sample of community adolescents (n = 4,019). The majority of self-cutting adolescents, 296 (67.2 %), reported cutting only the upper arms, while 144 (32.8 %) also cut other parts of the body. The data included a structured self-rating questionnaire, questions about self-cutting, the Youth Self-Report (YSR) for adolescents aged 11-18 years, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the Adolescent Dissociative Experience Scale (A-DES). The results indicate that self-cutting on other parts of body than the arms was associated with female gender, a wide range of emotional and dissociative symptoms and suicidal ideation. In logistic regression analysis, the most pronounced association between self-cutting on other places than the arms was found with YSR subscales withdrawn/depressed, social problems and thought problems, and dissociation (A-DES). We conclude that self-cutting adolescents, mostly girls, with wounds elsewhere than on the arms present with the most serious psychiatric symptoms. It is important to perform a careful physical examination when an adolescent has unexplained wounds or scars on the arms or on other parts of the body. These adolescents also need a caring and conscientious psychiatric examination and possible psychiatric treatment.


Language: en

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