Parental and community risk factors for childhood self-harm thoughts and behaviours

Kirstie O'Hare¹, Oliver Watkeys¹, Tyson Whitten², Kimberlie Dean³, Kristin R Laurens⁴, Felicity Harris¹, Vaughan J Carr⁵, Melissa J Green⁶

Affiliations

¹ Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
² Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; School of Social Sciences, University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
³ Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁴ Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Queensland University of Technology (QUT), School of Psychology and Counselling, Brisbane, Australia.
⁵ Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia; Department of Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
⁶ Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia. Electronic address: melissa.green@unsw.edu.au.

PMID: 35569604
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.05.050

Parental and community risk factors for childhood self-harm thoughts and behaviours

Kirstie O'Hare et al. J Affect Disord. 2022.

. 2022 Aug 1:310:279-283.

doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.05.050. Epub 2022 May 12.

Authors

Kirstie O'Hare¹, Oliver Watkeys¹, Tyson Whitten², Kimberlie Dean³, Kristin R Laurens⁴, Felicity Harris¹, Vaughan J Carr⁵, Melissa J Green⁶

Affiliations

¹ Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
² Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; School of Social Sciences, University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
³ Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁴ Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Queensland University of Technology (QUT), School of Psychology and Counselling, Brisbane, Australia.
⁵ Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia; Department of Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
⁶ Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia. Electronic address: melissa.green@unsw.edu.au.

PMID: 35569604
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.05.050

Abstract

Background: Childhood self-harm is rare but increasing in frequency. Little is known about risk factors specifically for self-harm in preteen children.

Methods: We examined self-harm thoughts and behaviours in children aged 3-14 years in association with parental and community-level risk factors, using a large general population-based record linkage sample (n = 74,479).

Results: Parental factors were strongly associated with childhood self-harm, with over three-quarters of children with self-harm having a parent with a history of mental disorder and/or criminal offending. Community-level factors (socioeconomic deprivation, remote or regional location, and neighbourhood crime rate) were not associated with childhood self-harm after adjustment for confounding factors.

Limitations: Measures of self-harm thoughts and behaviours derived from administrative data likely underestimate the prevalence of self-harm in the population.

Conclusions: Intergenerational transmission of risk factors is likely an important contributor to childhood self-harm.

Keywords: Intergenerational transmission; Self-injurious thoughts and behaviours, suicide, longitudinal, record linkage.

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Parental and community risk factors for childhood self-harm thoughts and behaviours

Affiliations

Parental and community risk factors for childhood self-harm thoughts and behaviours

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Medical