Deliberate Self Harm in Children.
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Date
2011-05
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Abstract
Objective: To study the nature of deliberate self-harm
(DSH) in children and to identify the associated factors.
Setting: Child Guidance Clinic attached to the Department
of Pediatrics of a teaching hospital in South India.
Subjects: Children with history of deliberate self harm who
were referred to the CGC for psychological evaluation
during a 10 year period.
Methods: Children and parents were interviewed together
and separately and details regarding age, sex, family and
school environment, stresses and nature of self harm were
documented. Psychiatric diagnosis was made based on
DSM IV diagnostic criteria.
Results: Among the 30 children included in the study, 21
were boys and 9 were girls. Majority of children were
between the ages of 11 and 13 years, the youngest being 6
years old. 76% of children had history of acute stressful
life events and 62% of them had chronic ongoing stress.
62 % of children had stress in the family and 41% had
stress at school. Stress in the family included death of a
parent, conflicts with parents or siblings, mental illness in
the family, parental alcoholism and parental disharmony.
Stress at school included conflicts with classmates,
punishment or negative comments by teachers and
learning problems. Psychiatric disorders were present in
52% of children, the commonest being depressive
disorder. The commonest mode of DSH was self
poisoning, and rat poison (zinc phosphide) was the
commonest substance used.
Conclusions: Deliberate self harm occurs in young
children and the risk factors are comparable to those in
adolescents.
Description
Keywords
Attempted suicide, Children, Deliberate self harm, India
Citation
Krishnakumar P, Geeta M G, Riyaz A. Deliberate Self Harm in Children. Indian Pediatrics. 2011 May; 48(5): 367-371.