Abstract
Background: Childhood self-harm is rare but increasing in frequency. Little is known about risk factors specifically for self-harm in preteen children.
Methods: We examined self-harm thoughts and behaviours in children aged 3–14 years in association with parental and community-level risk factors, using a large general population-based record linkage sample (n = 74,479).
Results: Parental factors were strongly associated with childhood self-harm, with over three-quarters of children with self-harm having a parent with a history of mental disorder and/or criminal offending. Community-level factors (socioeconomic deprivation, remote or regional location, and neighbourhood crime rate) were not associated with childhood self-harm after adjustment for confounding factors.
Limitations: Measures of self-harm thoughts and behaviours derived from administrative data likely underestimate the prevalence of self-harm in the population.
Conclusions: Intergenerational transmission of risk factors is likely an important contributor to childhood self-harm.
Methods: We examined self-harm thoughts and behaviours in children aged 3–14 years in association with parental and community-level risk factors, using a large general population-based record linkage sample (n = 74,479).
Results: Parental factors were strongly associated with childhood self-harm, with over three-quarters of children with self-harm having a parent with a history of mental disorder and/or criminal offending. Community-level factors (socioeconomic deprivation, remote or regional location, and neighbourhood crime rate) were not associated with childhood self-harm after adjustment for confounding factors.
Limitations: Measures of self-harm thoughts and behaviours derived from administrative data likely underestimate the prevalence of self-harm in the population.
Conclusions: Intergenerational transmission of risk factors is likely an important contributor to childhood self-harm.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 279-283 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Journal of Affective Disorders |
Volume | 310 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 01 Aug 2022 |