BACKGROUND: This study examined the prevalence of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), suicide attempts, suicide threats and suicidal ideation in a German school sample and compared the rates with a similar sample of adolescents from the midwestern USA by using cross-nationally validated assessment tools. METHOD: Data were provided from 665 adolescents (mean age 14.8 years, S.D.=0.66, range 14-17 years) in a school setting. Students completed the Self-Harm Behavior Questionnaire (SHBQ), the Ottawa Self-Injury Inventory (OSI) and a German version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D). RESULTS: A quarter of the participants (25.6%) endorsed at least one act of NSSI in their life, and 9.5% of those students answered that they had hurt themselves repetitively (more than four times). Forty-three (6.5%) of the students reported a history of a suicide attempt. No statistically significant differences were observed between the German and US samples in terms of self-injury or suicidal behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: By using the same validated assessment tools, no differences were found in the prevalence and characteristics of self-injury and suicidal behaviors between adolescents from Germany and the USA. Thus, it seems that NSSI has to be understood as worldwide phenomenon, at least in Western cultures.
BACKGROUND: This study examined the prevalence of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), suicide attempts, suicide threats and suicidal ideation in a German school sample and compared the rates with a similar sample of adolescents from the midwestern USA by using cross-nationally validated assessment tools. METHOD: Data were provided from 665 adolescents (mean age 14.8 years, S.D.=0.66, range 14-17 years) in a school setting. Students completed the Self-Harm Behavior Questionnaire (SHBQ), the Ottawa Self-Injury Inventory (OSI) and a German version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D). RESULTS: A quarter of the participants (25.6%) endorsed at least one act of NSSI in their life, and 9.5% of those students answered that they had hurt themselves repetitively (more than four times). Forty-three (6.5%) of the students reported a history of a suicide attempt. No statistically significant differences were observed between the German and US samples in terms of self-injury or suicidal behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: By using the same validated assessment tools, no differences were found in the prevalence and characteristics of self-injury and suicidal behaviors between adolescents from Germany and the USA. Thus, it seems that NSSI has to be understood as worldwide phenomenon, at least in Western cultures.
Authors: Shirley Yen; Kevin Kuehn; Caitlin Melvin; Lauren M Weinstock; Margaret S Andover; Edward A Selby; Joel B Solomon; Anthony Spirito Journal: Suicide Life Threat Behav Date: 2015-04-24
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Authors: Karen E Seymour; Richard N Jones; Grace K Cushman; Thania Galvan; Megan E Puzia; Kerri L Kim; Anthony Spirito; Daniel P Dickstein Journal: Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry Date: 2015-06-06 Impact factor: 4.785
Authors: Dominique F Maciejewski; Hanneke E Creemers; Michael T Lynskey; Pamela A F Madden; Andrew C Heath; Dixie J Statham; Nicholas G Martin; Karin J H Verweij Journal: JAMA Psychiatry Date: 2014-06 Impact factor: 21.596
Authors: Anne C Knorr; Matthew T Tull; Michael D Anestis; Katherine L Dixon-Gordon; Mary F Bennett; Kim L Gratz Journal: Arch Suicide Res Date: 2016-03-08