Abstract
Objective: Self-harm remains a serious public health concern; however, identifying adolescents at risk is challenging. While self-harm has been linked with difficulties in emotional regulation postinjury, comparatively little is known about how such difficulties may impact on the future development of self-harm behavior.
Methods: A total of 318 pupils aged 14-15 years completed measures on history of direct self-injurious behavior (D-SIB), emotional regulation, depression, and anxiety at two time points across a six-month period.
Results: Of 13% (42) of participants reported their first episode of D-SIB over the six-month period and reported increased difficulties with emotional regulation prior to initial D-SIB. Regression analyses found significant associations for emotional regulation and specifically lack of emotional clarity prior to first episode of D-SIB. Lack of emotional awareness and difficulties with impulse control was significantly associated in those with ongoing D-SIB.
Conclusions: Prior to first episode of D-SIB, young people may experience difficulty regulating emotions, a difficulty which appears less pronounced following their engagement with D-SIB. Our findings implicate difficulties in the early evaluation and understanding of emotions which may later impair attempts at emotion modulation and increase risk of D-SIB. Such findings might help inform early identification of adolescents at risk of initial D-SIB.
Methods: A total of 318 pupils aged 14-15 years completed measures on history of direct self-injurious behavior (D-SIB), emotional regulation, depression, and anxiety at two time points across a six-month period.
Results: Of 13% (42) of participants reported their first episode of D-SIB over the six-month period and reported increased difficulties with emotional regulation prior to initial D-SIB. Regression analyses found significant associations for emotional regulation and specifically lack of emotional clarity prior to first episode of D-SIB. Lack of emotional awareness and difficulties with impulse control was significantly associated in those with ongoing D-SIB.
Conclusions: Prior to first episode of D-SIB, young people may experience difficulty regulating emotions, a difficulty which appears less pronounced following their engagement with D-SIB. Our findings implicate difficulties in the early evaluation and understanding of emotions which may later impair attempts at emotion modulation and increase risk of D-SIB. Such findings might help inform early identification of adolescents at risk of initial D-SIB.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1266-1280 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Early online date | 3 Sept 2018 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2019 |
Access to Document
- Colin_Palmer_et_al_The_development_of_first_episode_Suicide_and_Life-Threatening_Behaviour_2018
"This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Palmer et al, Suicide and Life-Threatening Behaviour, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12512. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions."