Risk factors related to self-harming behaviour in Finnish adolescent inpatients with a history of non-suicidal self-injury, suicidal behaviour or both

Abstract

Theoretically, non-suicidal self-injury and suicide attempt are regarded as behaviours on a single continuum of self-injury. The aim of the present study was to shed more light on clinical differences between adolescent inpatients with non-suicidal selfinjury (NSSI), those with suicidal behaviour (SB) and those with both SB and NSSI. We studied risk factors related to self-harming behaviour in an inpatient sample (N=205) consisting of 13- to 17-year-old adolescents referred to psychiatric hospital for the first time in their lives between 2006 and 2010. Of them, 86 (42.0%) reported no history of self-harm, 62 (30.2%) showed a history of SB but no history of NSSI, 10 (4.9 %) had a history of NSSI and 47 (22.9%) had a history of both SB and NSSI. Depressive disorders and bipolar disorders, self-reported psychiatric symptoms (measured by SCL-90) and symptoms of depression were associated with SB. Social dysfunction was related to NSSI. Sexual abuse, impulsivity and symptoms of depression were related to SB with NSSI. Self-reported psychoticism was associated with all three self-harming groups. As could be expected, more severe self-harming behaviour (SB) was closely related with psychiatric diagnosis, while the risk factors for NSSI were related to difficulties in peer relationships.