Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch

Childhood Bullying Increases Risk of Self-Harm in Adolescence

A new study has proven that being bullied during childhood directly increases the likelihood of self- harm in late adolescence.

The analysis, led by researchers from the University of Warwick in association with colleagues at the University of Bristol, highlights that being bullied at primary school age can cause enough distress to significantly increase the risk of self-harming in later adolescence.

Almost 5,000 participants in the Children of the 90s study were assessed for exposure to bullying between seven and ten years of age and later asked whether they had engaged in self-harm at sixteen to seventeen years.

The study found that 16.5% of 16-17 year olds had self-harmed in the previous year, and 26.9% of these did so because they felt as though they 'wanted to die'. Those who were subjected to chronic bullying over a number of years at primary school were nearly five times more likely to self-harm six to seven years later in adolescence.

Professor Dieter Wolke of the University of Warwick explained, "It is further evidence for doing away with the myth that bullying at a young age can be viewed as a harmless rite of passage. I'd like to see clinicians routinely asking children about bullying - from name calling to more physical acts of abuse. The importance of this early intervention should not be understated. If we were able to eliminate bullying, while other exposures remained constant, there would be a potential to prevent 20% of all self-harm cases."

The research was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

Source: News Medical
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20130528/New-study-shows-childhood-bullying-increases-risk-of-self-harming-in-later-adolescence.aspx

Self-Harm Showing Up in Elementary Schools

When young people purposely hurt themselves it's disturbing at any age, but a new study suggests that kids in elementary school cut and otherwise injure themselves at about the same rate as older children.

"One of our main messages is: This happens earlier than you think. And then it's: How are kids at different ages doing this and what do you need to look for?" said study author Benjamin Hankin, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Denver.

Appearing the journal Pediatrics, the study included youths aged 7 to 16 from the Denver area and central New Jersey.

Of the 665 participants, 53 children (8 percent) in third, sixth and ninth grades admitted to doing what's known as "nonsuicidal self-injury" at least once. Among third graders, 7.6 percent had intentionally hurt themselves, compared to 4 percent of sixth graders and 12.7 percent of ninth graders.

Cutting, burning and head banging are self-injury methods, along with inserting sharp objects into skin or nails, skin picking, biting, or pulling hair to cause pain. "The older adolescents in our study -- basically ninth graders -- were engaging in cutting and burning," Hankin said. "The boys, and especially the younger kids, were actually doing more head banging."

"The older adolescents in our study -- basically ninth graders -- were engaging in cutting and burning," Hankin said. "The boys, and especially the younger kids, were actually doing more head banging."

"Of those who engaged in nonsuicidal self-injury-- about a third of them did it once and didn't do it again," Hankin said. "Of course that means the rest of them, 66 percent, go on and repeat."

Source: MSN Health
http://health.msn.com/health-topics/anxiety/self-harm-showing-up-in-elementary-schools-study

Bully-Victims 3x More Likely to Have Suicidal Thoughts by Age 11

In a paper published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the researchers found children who are both victims and bullies ('bully-victims'), are at highly increased risk of considering suicide, or have planned and engaged in suicidal or self-harming behavior by 11-12 years of age. These increased odds were not explained by other factors family circumstances or pre-existing emotional problems.

The study used information collected from parents and teachers, as well as children, to see how common bullying or victim behavior was.

They found that, compared to children who were never bullied, 'bully-victims' were three times as likely to have suicidal thoughts, and that those who were bullied over a long period of time were six times more likely to consider suicide.

Those who bully others but never become victims (pure bullies) were also at increased risk for suicide thoughts and suicidal or self-harming behaviour but the findings were not as consistent.

Source: MedicalXpress
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-bullies-victims-suicidal-thoughts-age.html

Most Adolescent Self-Harm Stops in Adulthood

One in 12 adolescents intentionally harms themselves, but the behavior persists into young adulthood in only 10% cases, according to the findings of a large, population-based, longitudinal study.

Of 1,802 adolescents aged 14-19 years, 149 (8.3%) admitted to self-harm, with more girls (10%) than boys (6.3%) reporting such behavior.

The behavior resolved without intervention in 90% of cases, however, with just 10% of teenagers who admitted to self-harm during adolescence continuing the behavior into their early adulthood.

"We think the findings offer some reassurance to those working with young people, to family members, parents and teachers," said study author Dr. Paul Moran at a press conference on Nov. 16.

Self-harm was broadly categorized into five types: cutting or burning, self-poisoning, deliberate nonrecreational risk-taking, self-battery, and other self-harming behaviors such as self-drowning, hanging, intentional electrocution, and suffocation.

Cutting and burning were the most common types of self-harm reported by 4.6% of adolescents and by 1.2% of young adults.

Dr. Moran noted that self-harm is a clearly a sign of significant emotional difficulties, with depression and anxiety increasing the risk of self-harm almost fourfold (hazard ratio, 3.7). High-risk alcohol use (HR, 2.1) and cannabis misuse (HR, 2.4) doubled the risk of self-harming behavior, with antisocial behavior (HR, 1.9) and smoking cigarettes (HR, 1.8) also influencing the risk of self-harm.

Source: Internal Medicine News
http://www.internalmedicinenews.com/news/mental-health/single-article/most-adolescent-self-harm-stops-in-adulthood/cb8375827f.html

Teens Posting 'Cutting' Videos on YouTube

The YouTube videos are disturbing -- images of teens with their arms bleeding and scarred where they sliced into themselves with a razor blade or other sharp object; poetry about pain, loneliness and hopelessness.

"My secret is my blade, it is my obsession, it is my dark secret, when I am empty I bleed, when I am sad I bleed, when I have no hope I bleed," reads the text of one such video.

Researchers report this as evidence of an alarming new trend: Teens posting videos on YouTube that depict "cutting," in which troubled adolescents use a razor blade or other sharp object to dig into their skin and draw blood, or other forms of self-injury such as embedding objects under the skin or burning themselves.

By sharing the sometimes graphic images with other vulnerable youths, the videos may make the behavior seem more normal and even prompt some teens to try it, the researchers noted.

"Some individuals who view this, if they are vulnerable and if they are regularly and repeatedly viewing these types of videos, it could be a virtual community in which self-injury could be reinforced and getting help is not always conveyed," said study author Stephen Lewis, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.

The study was released online Feb. 21 and will appear in the March print issue of Pediatrics.

Source: U.S. News & World Report
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2011/02/21/teens-posting-cutting-videos-on-youtube

Self-Embedding Takes Teen Self-Injury to the Extreme

Some teens are engaging in "self-embedding," an extreme form of self-injury, in which people -- often adolescents -- deliberately hurt themselves or mutilate their bodies without intending suicide. Self-embedders insert objects made of glass, wood, metal or other materials under the skin.

Determining how many teens "self-embed" is difficult, doctors say. As with other forms of self-harm, such as "cutting" or burning, many teens are ashamed of what they're doing and take steps to conceal their behavior, said William Shiels, a pediatric interventional radiologist at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

Between 13 percent and 23 percent of U.S. teens have reported intentional self-injury, according to background information in a study by Shiels and colleagues that was released online Sept. 7 in advance of publication in the October print issue of the journal Radiology.

Shiels' team found that of about 600 patients of all ages who went to the hospital to have foreign bodies removed from under their skin, 11 patients, or about 1.8 percent, had intentionally inserted the objects. They ranged in age from 14 to 18, and nine were girls.

The 11 teens had other psychological disorders, including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, borderline personality disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the study.

"One girl told us it's easier to deal with physical pain than the emotional pain in her life," Shiels said. "The reason they cut and embed is an effort to relieve their internal pain, the pain that's inside."

In all, Shiels and his colleagues removed 68 of 76 self-embedded objects from the arms, necks, feet, ankles and hands of the 11 patients. In one case, an 18-year-old boy had embedded 35 objects, including staples, a comb tooth, a fork tine and nail polish wands.

Source: U.S. News & World Report
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2010/09/07/self-embedding-takes-teen-self-injury-to-the-extreme.html

Teen Suicides Prompt New Prevention Ad Campaign

A public service ad campaign launching today is designed to help troubled teenagers before it's too late.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds, following accidents and homicides, according to government data.

In an effort to reduce such tragedies, the government worked with the Ad Council and the Inspire USA Foundation to create "We Can Help Us," a national public service advertising campaign. It includes TV, radio and print PSAs as well as posters in schools and malls.

This campaign comes on the heels of a number of recent Associated Press reports of teen suicide:

•Phoebe Prince, 15, of South Hadley, Mass, hanged herself at home in January after experiencing a wave of severe taunting, bullying and physical threats by some fellow students in school and on Facebook.

•Marie Osmond's son Michael Blosil, 18, committed suicide in late February, jumping from the eighth floor of his apartment building in Los Angeles. He left a note in which he referred to his life-long battle with depression.

•Two sophomores from Norwood, Pa., died in an apparent suicide pact in February when they stood on train tracks and were killed by a high-speed Acela train.

•Six confirmed or suspected suicides have occurred this academic year at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

Source: USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-03-31-suicideprevention31_ST_N.htm

Teen Internet Addicts More Likely to Self-Harm

A survey of Chinese adolescents found that teens who are addicted to the Internet are twice as likely to harm themselves as other teens.

The survey of students aged 13 to 18 found that about 16 percent said they had harmed themselves in some way within the previous six months; 4.5 percent reported that they'd harmed themselves at least six times during that period.

Self-harm, as defined by the study, included hair pulling, hitting, deliberate burning and pinching.

The researchers, who reported their findings in the Dec. 3 issue of the journal Injury Prevention, noted that about 90 percent of the survey participants were normal users of the Internet, but about 10 percent were moderately addicted and 0.6 percent were severely addicted.

Addicted teens suffered from emotional problems such as depression and nervousness when they weren't online, but felt better when they returned to the Internet, the study authors explained in a news release from the journal's publisher. Addicted teens also fantasized about or were preoccupied by being online.

After adjusting their statistics to account for the potential influence of other factors, such as health problems, the researchers found that the Internet-addicted teens were twice as likely to have harmed themselves. When they did hurt themselves, they did so more seriously than other teens.

Source: U.S. News & World Report
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/12/03/teen-internet-addicts-more-likely-to-self-harm.html

'Self-Embedding' a Troubling Trend Among Teens

This is the first time that I've heard of this troubling teen practice, but it appears as though it is very closely connected with the practice of "cutting." If you would like more information on cutting, see HomeWord's online article, "When Pain is All You Have - Why Teenagers Cut Themselves".

Self-embedding, a disorder where people wound themselves and then place objects in the wound, is an increasing problem among American teens, especially girls, researchers say.

Slated to report their findings recently at the Radiological Society of North America's annual meeting in Chicago, doctors said that ultrasound and other minimally invasive imaging techniques can help guide the removal of these foreign objects from the wounds. This is one of the first-ever reports of self-embedding, the authors said.

Self-embedding disorder is typically done without suicidal intent. Objects are used to puncture the skin or are embedded into the wound after cutting.

In the study, interventional pediatric radiologists used ultrasound and/or fluoroscopic guidance to remove 52 embedded foreign objects from nine teenagers with the disorder. The objects removed included needles, staples, paper clips, glass, wood, plastic, graphite (pencil lead), crayon and stone.

Source: Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/03/AR2008120300957.html

Teens Who Repeatedly Cut Themselves Have Greater HIV Risk

Teens who repeatedly cut themselves are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior, increasing their chances of possibly contracting HIV, according to a study in the June issue of the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.

Researchers from the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center in Providence, R.I. report that frequent self-cutters -- teens who have cut themselves more than three times -- used condoms less consistently, were more likely to share cutting instruments, and had less self-restraint. The study is the first to examine whether these teens engage in the same level of risk behaviors as those who've only experimented with cutting once or twice.

Source: Science Daily
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080612070410.htm

For more information about cutting, click on the following article title:

When Pain is All You Have - Why Teenagers Cut Themselves