Background
Methods
Design and sample
Procedure
Data analysis
Results
Demographics
Number (%) | Prevalence of DSH (95% CI) | ||
---|---|---|---|
Gender
| Male | 1902 (49.8%) | 4.4% (3.1 – 5.6%) |
Female | 1915 (50.2%) | 13.9% (11.8 – 16.1%) | |
Age
| 15 years | 884 (23.2%) | 9.3% (7.5 – 11.2%) |
16 years | 2021 (53.1%) | 9.4% (7.6 – 11.2%) | |
17 years | 902 (23.7%) | 8.5% (6.8 – 10.3%) | |
City/County
| Cork City | 996 (26.0%) | 9.4% (7.6 – 11.2%) |
Cork County | 1965 (51.3%) | 9.1% (7.3 – 10.9%) | |
Kerry County | 869 (22.7%) | 8.9% (7.1 – 10.6%) | |
Living arrangement
| Both parents | 3224 (84.6%) | 8.1% (6.4 – 9.8%) |
One parent | 442 (11.6%) | 14.3% (12.1 – 16.4%) | |
One parent and a step parent/partner | 100 (2.6%) | 18.1% (15.7 – 20.5%) | |
Other family member | 23 (0.6%) | 15.0% (12.8 – 17.2%) | |
Other | 22 (0.6%) | 10.5% (8.6 – 12.4%) |
Deliberate self harm
Self report1
| Based on standardised DSH description2
| |||
---|---|---|---|---|
N/total respondents | % (95%CI) | N/total respondents | % (95%CI) | |
Lifetime | 458/3747 | 12.2% (11.2%-13.3%) | 333/3646 | 9.1% (8.2% – 10.1%) |
- More than a year ago | 173/3747 | 4.6% (4.0%-5.4%) | 117/3646 | 3.2% (2.7% – 3.9%) |
- Past year | 266/3747 | 7.1% (6.3% – 8.0%) | 208/3646 | 5.7% (5.0% – 6.5%) |
- Past month | 83/3747 | 2.2% (1.8% – 2.7%) | 65/3646 | 1.8% (1.4% – 2.3%) |
Students who had thought of harming themselves but did not go through with it
| ||||
n/total respondents
|
% (95%CI)
| |||
Past Year | 807/3732 | 21.6% (20.3% – 23.0%) | ||
Past Month | 313/3732 | 8.4% (7.5% – 9.3%) |
DSH and sociodemographic factors
Methods of deliberate self harm
Self cutting | Overdose | Alcohol | Recreational Drugs | Self Battery | Hanging | Other | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Girls
| 174 (68.8%) | 89 (35.2%) | 10 (4.0%) | 5 (2.0%) | 7 (2.8%) | 5 (2.0%) | 11 (4.3%) | 253 |
Boys
| 45 (57.0%) | 19 (24.1%) | 6 (7.6) | 8 (10.1%) | 5 (6.3%) | 4 (5.1%) | 4 (5.1%) | 79 |
Total
| 220* (66.0%) | 108 (32.4%) | 16 (4.8%) | 13 (3.9%) | 12 (3.6%) | 9 (2.7%) | 15 (4.5%) | 333* |
Motives for deliberate self harm
Females (N = 253) % | Males (N = 79) % | Relative Risk (M/F) | 95% CI | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Wanted to get relief from a terrible state of mind
| 79.2 | 77.6 | 1.0 | 0.8 – 1.1 |
Wanted to die
| 59.7 | 65.0 | 1.1 | 0.9 – 1.3 |
Wanted to show how desperate I was feeling
| 52.1 | 52.8 | 1.0 | 0.7 – 1.3 |
Wanted to punish myself
| 43.8 | 49.1 | 1.1 | 0.8 – 1.5 |
Wanted to find out whether someone really loved me
| 25.8 | 38.2 | 1.5 | 1.0 – 2.2 |
Wanted to frighten someone
| 23.6 | 40.7 | 1.7 | 1.1 – 2.6 |
Wanted to get some attention
| 23.0 | 27.3 | 1.2 | 0.7 – 1.9 |
Wanted to get my own back on someone
| 19.7 | 25.0 | 1.3 | 0.7 – 2.2 |
Help seeking behaviour among those who harmed themselves
Source of help | Before DSH | After DSH |
---|---|---|
Family | 7.8% | 20.5% |
Friend | 38.2% | 40.3% |
Teacher | 5.8% | 6.5% |
GP | 1.8% | 7.7% |
Social Worker | 3.3% | 4.5% |
Psychologist/Psychiatrist | 4.0% | 9.2% |
Telephone Helpline | 4.4% | 1.6% |
Drop-in/Advice Centre | 1.1% | 1.2% |
Other | 11.2% | 7.1% |