Can we predict or identify self-harming behaviors without suicidal intent in teenagers? University of Cambridge researchers reviewed longitudinal survey data of 11,000 14-year-old United Kingdom teens in the Millennium Cohort Study.

Results? The researchers identified risk factors for self-harm that were evident a decade before the self-injury began. The researchers found two subgroups of teens who self-harm: 1. teens who at a young age exhibited mental health conditions of poor emotional control, behavioral difficulties, and low self-esteem. 2. teens who were victims of bullying when younger and had a caretaker who experienced mental health problems. However, this second group showed less childhood risk factors and no mental health conditions. Yet, during adolescence...

Research by Uh, S., Dalmaijer, E. S., Siugzdaite, R., Ford, T. J., & Astle, D. E. (2020). Two pathways to self-harm in adolescence. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.07.10.20150789

Written by Robin N. Fatovic M.S.