NCJ Number
218141
Journal
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 46 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2007 Pages: 508-514
Date Published
2007
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This study examined the association between pubertal developmental stage and deliberate self-harm.
Abstract
The study concludes that puberty is associated with changes in the form and frequency of self-harm. For adolescents with a gap between puberty and brain development, risk factors such as early sexual activity and substance abuse may be particularly potent. Out of a sample of 3,332 students in grades seven and nine, 3.7 percent had engaged in deliberate self-harm, with the rate of involvement of girls being more than twofold higher than that of boys. Late puberty was linked to just over a fourfold higher rate of self-harm after adjustment for age and school grade level. In contrast, age had a protective association. The sharpest increases in prevalence across puberty were for self-laceration and self-poisoning in females. Higher rates of depressive symptoms, frequent alcohol use, and initiation of sexual activity largely accounted for the link between self-harm and pubertal stage in multivariate models. The study involved a cross-sectional survey of 12- to 15-year-olds in 300 secondary schools in the U.S. State of Washington in February-April 2002 and the Australian State of Victoria in June-August 2002. A total of 3,332 students in grades seven and nine provided complete data on episodes of deliberate self-harm in the previous 12 months and pubertal stage of development. Pubertal stage was assessed with the Pubertal Development Scale. 4 tables and 50 references