Self-harm in adolescents: A self-report survey in schools from Lisbon, Portugal

Résumé

The study aims to determine the prevalence of self-harm (SH) and related psychosocial factors in a large sample of Portuguese adolescents. A total of 1713 pupils, aged 12 to 20 years, completed an anonymous questionnaire in a school setting. 7.3% reported at least one episode of SH: rates were three times higher for females than males. Almost half reported repeated SH, most commonly self-cutting. Anxiety, depression and substance abuse were linked to SH, and particularly repeated SH. Anxiety, trouble with the police, and exposure to SH or suicide of others, were independently associated with SH in both genders. These findings indicate that SH is a public health concern in Portugal as in other European countries. PORTUGAL EUROPE GENRE HOMME FEMME ADOLESCENT TENTATIVE AUTO-MUTILATION NON-SUICIDAIRE TROUBLE-ANXIEUX DÉPRESSION PROBLÈME-SCOLAIRE DYNAMIQUE-FAMILIALE CONTAGION PAIR