Citation

Sičić M, Mužinić L. Ljetop. Soc. Rada 2008; 15(1): 49-68.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

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Abstract

The problem of self-injuring behaviour among adolescents is still not publicly discussed in our country, and as it is the case with some other mental disorders, this occurrence is stigmatised and remains hidden from the public. This paper presents a theoretical review of the phenomenon of self-injuring behaviour, the prevalence of the problem abroad, primarily in the USA, Great Britain and Canada, and the research conducted in our country, in the Psychiatric hospital for the children and young persons in Zagreb, Kukuljevićeva 11. This research included 26 adolescents, and its purpose was to determine who frequently were the analysed risk factors present among those adolescents. The analysed risk factors are: who the child lives with, the marital status of the parents, employment status of the parents, relations between the family members, violence and addiction in the family, abuse of the child, an earlier attempt/intention to commit suicide and suicidal thoughts of the child, aggressiveness of the child, behavioural disorders (the child's perpetration of criminal and summary offences) and the presence of mental disorders of the child (diagnosis). The results show that social and psychiatric characteristics of the adolescents influence the occurrence of selfinjury.

Language: hr

Keywords

Adolescents; Self-injury; Psychiatric characteristics of adolescents; Social characteristics of adolescents