1 in 10 teenage girls self-harm: study

LONDON (Reuters) – One in 10 teenage girls deliberately
harm themselves each year and the problem is far more
widespread than previously thought, according to a study on
Wednesday.

In a survey of more than 6,000 school pupils aged 15 and
16, researchers found that girls are four times more likely to
have engaged in self-harm than boys.

Eleven percent of girls and 3 percent of boys reported that
they had harmed themselves within the last year.

Previous estimates for the amount self-harm in the country
were based on the 25,000 “presentations” at hospitals in
England and Wales each year that are the result of deliberate
self-poisoning or self-injury amongst teenagers.

However, the research, by academics from the universities
of Bath and Oxford, has found that only 13 percent of
self-harming incidents reported by the pupils had resulted in a
hospital visit.

Although poisoning is the most common form of self-harm
reported in hospitals, the study revealed that cutting was the
more prevalent form of self-harm (64.5 percent), followed by
overdosing (31 per cent).

“The study shows that deliberate self-harm is common
amongst teenagers in England, especially in girls who are four
times more likely to self-harm than boys,” said Dr Karen Rodham
from the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath.

“Until now, most studies of deliberate self-harm in
adolescents in the UK have been based on the cases that reach
hospital.

“We have found that the true extent of self-harm in England
is significantly wider than that.”

Professor Keith Hawton from the Center for Suicide Research
at the University of Oxford, who directed the project, said the
study would help devise ways of addressing the problem and
identifying those at most risk.

“In many cases, self-harming behavior represents a
transient period of distress, but for others it is an important
indicator of mental health problems and a risk of suicide,” he
said in a statement.

COMMON MOTIVES

The study showed the most frequent motive expressed by both
males and females was as a means of coping with distress.

For both sexes there was an increase in deliberate
self-harm with increased consumption of cigarettes or alcohol,
and all categories of drug use.

Self-harm was more common in pupils who had been bullied
and was strongly associated with physical and sexual abuse in
both sexes.

The majority of those who said they harmed themselves said
it was an impulsive act rather than something they had thought
about for a long time.

The vast majority of pupils said their friends were the
people they felt that they could talk to about things that
bothered them and those who had harmed themselves most often
turned to friends.

“This responsibility places a great burden on adolescents
to support their peers, yet most adolescents have not in any
way been coached in how best to do this,” said Hawton.

“Attention to this aspect of support for adolescents should
be an essential part of mental health education in schools, and
it is great to see the development of the wellness programs
currently being trialled in some schools.