TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2009//
TI  - Self-harm in adolescents: self-report survey in schools in Scotland
JO  - British journal of psychiatry
A1  - O'Connor, Rory C.
A1  - Rasmussen, Sara
A1  - Miles, Jeffrey
A1  - Hawton, Keith E.
SP  - 68
EP  - 72
VL  - 194
IS  - 1
N2  - BACKGROUND: The suicide rate in Scotland is twice as high as that in England. However, the prevalence of self-harm is unknown. AIMS: To determine the prevalence of self-harm in adolescents in Scotland and the factors associated with it. METHOD: A total of 2008 pupils aged 15-16 years completed an anonymous lifestyle and coping survey. Information was obtained on demographic characteristics, lifestyle, life events and problems, social influences, psychological variables and self-harm. RESULTS: Self-harm was reported by 13.8% of the respondents. The majority (71%) of those who had self-harmed had done so in the past 12 months and girls were approximately 3.4 times more likely to report self-harm than boys. In multivariate analyses, smoking, bullying, worries about sexual orientation, self-harm by family and anxiety were associated with self-harm in both genders. In addition, drug use, physical abuse, serious boy/girlfriend problems, self-harm by friends and low levels of optimism were also associated with self-harm in girls. CONCLUSIONS: Despite markedly different national suicide rates, the prevalence of self-harm in Scotland is similar to that in England with girls at least three times more likely to report self-harm than boys. The findings suggest a role for emotional literacy programmes in schools and highlight the importance of promoting positive mental health among adolescents.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0007-1250
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.107.047704
ID  - ref1
ER  -