Abstract
Objective: The objective of this study was to identify the presence of self-harm behavior among adolescents, the methods and reasons for this behavior, and to assess the association with the sociodemographic, anxiety, and depression variables. Methodology: This is a quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study carried out with 73 adolescents attending a school in a city in southern Minas Gerais, Brazil. The data collection instruments used were the following: Characterization, Economic Classification, Functional Assessment of Self - Mutilation, Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders, and the Children's Depression Inventory. Results: Self-harm was evidenced in 84.9% of the participants, 72.6% presented anxiety symptoms, 50.6% presented depression symptoms, and 37.1 % presented suicidal ideation. The methods used for self-harm were the following: poking wounds, hitting and biting oneself, and skin cutting. The main motivations were the following: to relieve feelings of emptiness or indifference, to cease negative feelings or sensations, and to feel relaxed. Self-harm is associated with the female gender, suicidal ideation, anxiety, and depression. Conclusion: It is concluded that self-harm is a risk factor for suicide and generates significant suffering interfering negatively in the lives of adolescents. The need for greater attention to the mental health of adolescents in the school context is highlighted.
Highlights
Self-harm is a significant issue in adolescence, and it is strongly related to attempts (Hooley et al, 2020) and death by suicide (Hawton et al, 2013)
Self-harm was presented by 84.9 percent of the participants, 72.6 percent presented anxiety symptoms, and 50.6 percent presented depression symptoms, 37.1 percent were thinking about committing suicide while they performed self-harm, 58 percent reported feeling little or no pain, and 91.9 percent were not under the influence of alcohol or other drugs
The adolescents participating in the present study reported feeling little or no pain (58%), such data differs from a survey assessing the experience of pain during self-harm in which 62% of participants reported feeling pain during self-harm frequently and 36% felt it sometimes, and only one participant reported feeling no pain at all (Selby et al, 2019)
Summary
Self-harm is a significant issue in adolescence, and it is strongly related to attempts (Hooley et al, 2020) and death by suicide (Hawton et al, 2013). Non-suicidal self-harm can be characterized as an individual's repeated behavior of causing superficial injuries to their body without suicidal intent. It most often begins in early adolescence and can continue for several years (American Psychiatric Association, 2014; Fortes et al, 2017). It is a common practice, with a lifetime prevalence of 7.5 to 46.5% in adolescents (Cipriano et al, 2017). Evidence exists supporting that it is associated with a range of psychological issues: depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (Bentley et al, 2014)
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