Self injurious behaviour in high school students in city center of Isparta and factors psychiatrically related with this behavior

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is the detection of a lifetime history of self injurious behavior as well as the determination of the relationship between self-injurious behavior and suicide attempt, suicidal ideation, anxiety and depression levels. Methods: A cross-sectional analytic study was planned in high school students. The schools were stratified according to socioeconomic levels in order to encompass students from every socioeconomic level and a random school was chosen from each level through cluster sampling. Personal information and self-injurious behavior form, children’s depression inventory, screen for child anxiety related emotional disorders were applied. Results: A lifetime history of self-injurious behavior is 39.7%. 50.8% of adolescents showing self-injurious behavior were male and 49.2% were female, and their mean age is 15.6 ± 1.1. The most frequent type of self-injurious behavior was hitting a hard object with the head or another part of the body. Only 13.4% of the adolescents had sought help for self injurious behavior. Adolescents with self injurious behaviors were detected to have high levels of anxiety and depression. Adolescents with self-injurious behavior attempt suicide significantly more frequently. It has been observed that the frequency and causes of self-injurious behavior, anxiety and depression levels differ depending on gender among self-injurious adolescents. Discussion: When working with self-injurious adolescents, detecting and treating the accompanying mental disorders may be important for preventing such behavior. It has been concluded that detecting the gender specific risk factors regarding self injurious behavior will be beneficial in developing preventive strategies for such behavior in future studies.