Citation

Junker A, Bjørngaard JH, Bjerkeset O. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry Ment. Health 2017; 11: e25.

Affiliation

Faculty of Health Sciences, Nord University, Levanger, Norway.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group - BMC)

DOI

10.1186/s13034-017-0161-8

PMID

28469702

PMCID

PMC5410696

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Self-harm is associated with increased suicide risk, and constitutes a major challenge in adolescent mental healthcare. In the current study, we examined the association between different aspects of adolescent health and risk of later self-harm requiring hospital admission.

METHODS: We linked baseline information from 13 to 19 year old participants (n = 8965) in the Norwegian Young-HUNT 1 study to patient records of self-harm hospitalisation during 15 years of follow-up. We used Cox regression to estimate risk factor hazard ratios (HR).

RESULTS: Eighty-nine persons (71% female) were admitted to hospital because of self-harm. Intoxication/self-poisoning was the most frequent method (81%). Both mental (anxiety/depression, loneliness, being bullied) and somatic (epilepsy, migraine) health issues were associated with up to fourfold increased risk of self-harm-related hospital admission.

CONCLUSIONS: Several health issues during adolescence markedly increased the risk of later self-harm hospitalisation. Current findings should be incorporated in the strive to reduce self-harming and attempted suicides among young people.

Language: en

Keywords

Adolescence; Hospitalisation; Self-harm