Citation

Goodwin RD, Marusic A. Psychiatr. Danub. 2006; 18(Suppl 1): 133.

Affiliation

Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. rdg66@columbia.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Facultas Universitatis Studiorum Zagrabiensis - Danube Symposion of Psychiatry)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

16964112

Abstract

Objective: To examine the association between thoughts of self-harm and helpseeking for feelings of depression among youth in the community. Data were drawn from the Health Behavior of School-aged Children Study (n=15, 686), a nationally representative sample of youth in grades 6 through 10 in the United States. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to determine the association between thoughts of self-harm when depressed and specific helpseeking behaviors for feelings of depression. Youth who thought of hurting themselves when feeling depressed were more likely to seek help from school officials (OR=1.05 (1.04, 1.06)), health professionals (OR=1.83 (1.81, .185)), a counselor (OR=1.93 (1.92, 1.95)), or a friend (OR=1.46 (1.45, 1.47)), compared with those with feelings of depression without thoughts of self-harm. Youth with thoughts of self-harm when depressed were less likely to seek help from a parent (OR=.47 (.47, .47)), sibling (OR=.77 (.76, .77)), or other relative (OR=.78 (.77, .79)), than their counterparts without thoughts of self-harm. These data suggest that youth who think about hurting themselves when depressed are more likely to seek help from school and health officials, and are less likely to seek help from family members, than those with feelings of depression who do not think about self-harm. While these data should be considered preliminary, if replicated, these results may help to inform programs aimed at improving identification of youth with thoughts of self-harm and feelings of depression, by adults, in community and school settings.

Language: en