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Citation
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Fadum EA, Carlsen E, Ramberg M, Strand LA, Håberg SE, Borud EK, Martinussen M. BMJ Open 2021; 11(11): e054707. |
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Abstract
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OBJECTIVE: Social and life skills (SLS) may be important in the prevention and treatment of self-harm, but few studies have described this relationship. We examined three components of SLS in adolescents who reported self-harm that was, according to themselves, diagnosed by a clinician.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: National screening prior to military service. PARTICIPANTS: 176 284 residents of Norway born in 1999-2001 received a declaration of health. We included 171 486 individuals (84 153 (49%) women and 87 333 (51%) men) who were 17 (n=1 67 855) or 18 years of age (n=3631) when they completed the declaration. OUTCOME MEASURE: The main outcome was clinically diagnosed self-harm, defined as self-harm that the adolescents themselves stated had been diagnosed by a clinician. Components of SLS were social interactions; coping strategies; and emotional regulation/aggression. The association between SLS and self-reported clinically diagnosed self-harm was assessed in hierarchical multiple regression models controlling for sex; school absence; and feelings of emotional pain.
RESULTS: Three percent (n=5507) of the adolescents reported clinically diagnosed self-harm. The three components of SLS together added little to the prediction of clinically diagnosed self-harm (∆R(2)=0.02). After controlling for school absence and emotional pain, emotional regulation/aggression was the only SLS-component that was independently associated with clinically diagnosed self-harm (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.31 to 1.36). The young men who said they had been clinically diagnosed for self-harm scored slightly worse on social interactions (Hedge's g (g) = -0.13, p<0.001) and emotional regulation/aggression (g = -0.18, p<0.001) than the young women in this group.
CONCLUSION: Young women and young men who reported clinically diagnosed self-harm had more problems with emotional regulation/aggression than other adolescents, but did not have worse social interactions or coping strategies.
Language: en |