Survey Warns Youth, Especially Females, Vulnerable To Deliberate Self-Harm
VANCOUVER - A new study is warning the health-care community to be vigilant for signs that young people may be deliberately hurting themselves short of attempting suicide.
A survey of Victoria youth aged 14 to 21 found 16.9 per cent of those interviewed - about one in six - reported self-harming behaviours, from cutting, scratching, hitting and burning to taking excessive amounts of medication or illegal drugs.
The study published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal says 77 per cent of those who reported non-suicidal self-harm were female - though males are less likely to report it - and 40 per cent admitted doing it more than three times.
The survey of 568 young people done in 2005 found most who admitted self-harm also reported depressive mood symptoms and other problems, and many had families with money problems.
"The results of our study suggest that non-suicidal self-harm is common," the report concludes.
"If non-suicidal self-harm is identified, the type and frequency should be further evaluated and youth should be assessed for associated risk factors."
The report's authors, led by Victoria psychiatrist Dr. Mary K. Nixon, say their results jibe with similar surveys in North America and Europe, including two Canadian studies of students in big-city schools that found rates of 13.9 and 15 per cent.
But they admit their study has limitations, including the sample size of only 568 participants and its regional nature. They recommend a larger national study be done.
"The prevalence of non-suicidal self-harm reported here may be an underestimate, given that for some youth the onset of non-suicidal self-harm may have not yet occurred and that others may have been unwilling to report such behaviour," the report says.
Meanwhile they recommend those who treat youth for mental health issues be vigilant for signs of self-harming behaviour.
By Steve Mertl, THE CANADIAN PRESS