ERIC Number: EJ984016
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Oct
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1557-1874
EISSN: N/A
Characteristics of Self-Harm Behaviour among Identified Self-Harming Youth in Care
Grenville, Jeffrey; Goodman, Deborah; Macpherson, Alison K.
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, v10 n5 p646-659 Oct 2012
The objective of this study was to describe deliberate self-harming (DSH) characteristics in a child-welfare population identified as having threatened or completed self-harm. Secondary data from 621 serious occurrence reports (SOR) that documented 2004-2007 DSH incidents and DSH threats with 252 Canadian youth in care (Y-INC) of the Children's Aid Society of Toronto (CAS-T) was analyzed. In addition to descriptive analysis, a clustered design binary logistic regression was employed to determine factors associated with DSH characteristics such as repetition, reported behaviour, and severity. Y-INC males (n = 140) made up a slight majority in both DSH categories: single incident of self-harm (sDSH) vs. repeat incidents (rDSH) (55.4% and 56.0% respectively); the female Y-INC sample (n = 112) was responsible for the majority of rDSH incidents (69.1%). Most DSH incidents took place between 6 pm to 12 am, Monday to Friday. Factors found to be associated with DSH in an in-care population of DSH youth were: "non-permanent status" (non-Crown wards were more likely to self-harm vs. threaten self-harm compared to permanent/Crown wards(OR 2.46, CI 1.26-4.80); "older Y-INC" (age 14-21) were more likely to receive medical attention due to a DSH incident vs. 6-13 year olds (OR 4.26, CI 2.51-7.21); and "female Y-INC" were found more likely to have repeat DSH incidents (OR 2.55, CI 1.08-6.02). In addition to heightened supervision and resources for Y-INC that are at-risk for or engage in DSH, greater research attention to this issue is warranted.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Self Destructive Behavior, Child Welfare, Welfare Services, Behavior Problems, Severity (of Disability), Gender Differences, At Risk Persons, Foster Care, Access to Health Care
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A