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What happens to young adults who have engaged in self-injurious behavior as adolescents? A 10-year follow-up

Daukantaité, Daiva LU ; Lundh, Lars-Gunnar LU ; Wångby Lundh, Margit LU ; Claréus, Benjamin LU ; Bjärehed, Jonas LU ; Zhou, Ya and Liljedahl, Sophie LU (2020) In European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Abstract
This study examined the longitudinal associations between non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in early adolescence and various positive and negative aspects of mental health in young adulthood. The participants were a cohort of regular school students (n = 1064) in grades 7–8 from a Swedish municipality. Nine hundred and ninety-one of these completed an 11-page questionnaire (T1: Mage = 13.7; 50.3% girls); 1 year later, 984 students completed the questionnaire again (T2: Mage = 14.8; 51.1% girls); and 10 years later, 557 took part (T3: Mage = 25.3; 59.2% women). The prevalence of any NSSI (≥ 1 instance) decreased from about 40% in adolescence to 18.7% in young adulthood, while the prevalence of repetitive NSSI (≥ 5 instances) decreased from... (More)
This study examined the longitudinal associations between non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in early adolescence and various positive and negative aspects of mental health in young adulthood. The participants were a cohort of regular school students (n = 1064) in grades 7–8 from a Swedish municipality. Nine hundred and ninety-one of these completed an 11-page questionnaire (T1: Mage = 13.7; 50.3% girls); 1 year later, 984 students completed the questionnaire again (T2: Mage = 14.8; 51.1% girls); and 10 years later, 557 took part (T3: Mage = 25.3; 59.2% women). The prevalence of any NSSI (≥ 1 instance) decreased from about 40% in adolescence to 18.7% in young adulthood, while the prevalence of repetitive NSSI (≥ 5 instances) decreased from about 18 to 10%. Compared to individuals who reported no NSSI as adolescents, and controlling for gender and psychological difficulties in adolescence, adolescents with stable repetitive NSSI (i.e., repetitive NSSI at both T1 and T2) showed significantly higher levels of stress, anxiety, NSSI, and difficulties in emotion regulation 10 years later. Even infrequent and unstable repetitive NSSI in adolescence was associated with negative outcomes in young adulthood. These results suggest that stable repetitive NSSI in adolescence is a strong risk factor for mental health problems in young adulthood and that occasional engagement in NSSI in adolescence is an indicator of vulnerability for poorer mental health in young adulthood. (Less)
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:85084060764
  • pmid:32318877
ISSN
1435-165X
DOI
10.1007/s00787-020-01533-4
project
Självskadebeteende, emotionsreglering och interpersonella relationer hos unga vuxna
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
996c652d-5770-4ff2-bbbe-0591befc9e43
date added to LUP
2020-04-21 14:39:21
date last changed
2023-12-04 11:49:39
@article{996c652d-5770-4ff2-bbbe-0591befc9e43,
  abstract     = {{This study examined the longitudinal associations between non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in early adolescence and various positive and negative aspects of mental health in young adulthood. The participants were a cohort of regular school students (n = 1064) in grades 7–8 from a Swedish municipality. Nine hundred and ninety-one of these completed an 11-page questionnaire (T1: Mage = 13.7; 50.3% girls); 1 year later, 984 students completed the questionnaire again (T2: Mage = 14.8; 51.1% girls); and 10 years later, 557 took part (T3: Mage = 25.3; 59.2% women). The prevalence of any NSSI (≥ 1 instance) decreased from about 40% in adolescence to 18.7% in young adulthood, while the prevalence of repetitive NSSI (≥ 5 instances) decreased from about 18 to 10%. Compared to individuals who reported no NSSI as adolescents, and controlling for gender and psychological difficulties in adolescence, adolescents with stable repetitive NSSI (i.e., repetitive NSSI at both T1 and T2) showed significantly higher levels of stress, anxiety, NSSI, and difficulties in emotion regulation 10 years later. Even infrequent and unstable repetitive NSSI in adolescence was associated with negative outcomes in young adulthood. These results suggest that stable repetitive NSSI in adolescence is a strong risk factor for mental health problems in young adulthood and that occasional engagement in NSSI in adolescence is an indicator of vulnerability for poorer mental health in young adulthood.}},
  author       = {{Daukantaité, Daiva and Lundh, Lars-Gunnar and Wångby Lundh, Margit and Claréus, Benjamin and Bjärehed, Jonas and Zhou, Ya and Liljedahl, Sophie}},
  issn         = {{1435-165X}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{04}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry}},
  title        = {{What happens to young adults who have engaged in self-injurious behavior as adolescents? A 10-year follow-up}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00787-020-01533-4}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s00787-020-01533-4}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}