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Deliberate Self-harm Among Children in Tertiary Care Residential Treatment: Prevalence and Correlates

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Abstract

Background

Few studies have examined deliberate self-harm (DSH) among children in residential treatment in Canada. Most of the existing studies examined adolescent students or children from pediatric emergency departments.

Objectives

The objectives of this study were to examine the prevalence of DSH among children in tertiary care residential treatment and the factors associated with DSH.

Methods

Data on 284 children aged 5–17 years (M = 11.54 years, SD = 2.56) with mental health problems in tertiary care residential treatment were analyzed. Binary logistic regression was performed to examine the likelihood of engaging in DSH.

Results

About 35 % of children engaged in DSH. Suicidal talk emerged as the strongest factor to be associated with DSH. Children who used alcohol or drugs were also more likely to engage in DSH than those who did not use alcohol or drugs. Furthermore, symptoms of conduct problems were associated with the likelihood of engaging in DSH.

Conclusions

Identifying children at risk for engaging in DSH and suicidal behavior is of critical importance to mental health care providers. These factors could assist in identifying children who might require more specialized treatment related to self-harm during their stay in residential treatment.

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Notes

  1. For clarity, the term “children” is used throughout this paper to refer to both children and youth.

  2. We refer the reader to Table 1 for a list of studies involving children in residential treatment, psychiatric units/emergency departments, and student samples.

  3. The BCFPI items were based on parent/guardian and not child report. DSH was interpreted by the parent/guardian and answered accordingly.

Abbreviations

DSH:

Deliberate self-harm

BCFPI:

Brief child and family phone interview

GOF:

Goodness-of-fit

OR:

Odds ratio

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Child and Parent Resource Institute, 600 Sanatorium Road, London, ON, N6H 3W7, Canada

    Shannon L. Stewart, Philip Baiden & Laura Theall-Honey

  2. Faculty of Social Sciences, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada

    Wendy den Dunnen

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  1. Shannon L. Stewart
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Correspondence to Shannon L. Stewart.

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Stewart, S.L., Baiden, P., Theall-Honey, L. et al. Deliberate Self-harm Among Children in Tertiary Care Residential Treatment: Prevalence and Correlates. Child Youth Care Forum 43, 63–81 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-013-9225-y

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