Immigration as risk factor for non-suicidal self-injury and suicide attempts in adolescents in Germany

Chinese Medicine

Rebecca C Groschwitz¹  Jörg M Fegert¹  Nestor D Kapusta²  Marc Allroggen¹  Lara M Munz¹  Paul L Plener¹ 

[1] Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Ulm, Steinhoevelstr. 5, Ulm, 89075, Germany;Department of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

关键词: Migration;    Immigration;    Adolescents;    Suicide attempts;    NSSI;    Non-suicidal self-injury;   

Others  :  1231856
DOI  :  10.1186/s13034-015-0065-4

 received in 2015-04-15, accepted in 2015-06-24,  发布年份 2015

【 摘 要 】

Background

Whereas non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicide attempts (SA) are rather common among adolescents, the description of risk factors has often failed to take migration into perspective. Our study aimed to describe immigration status in adolescents with regards to their lifetime history of NSSI and SA.

Methods

We carried out a population based study in a school community of ninth-graders (N = 452, mean age 14.85, SD 0.58) in southern Germany. Data were collected via adolescent self report on sociodemographic variables and on NSSI and SA using the Self Harm Behavior Questionnaire.

Results

Adolescents born outside Germany showed an elevated rate of a lifetime history of NSSI and SA. When compared to German adolescents without a (family) history of migration (NSSI 19.16%, SA 3.24%), adolescents who were born in another country had an elevated risk for NSSI (42.86%, OR 3.36) and SA (17.86%, OR 6.78), which was higher than the risk of adolescents who had at least one parent who had emigrated from another country (NSSI 30.08%, OR 2.46 and SA 8.94%, OR 4.45).

Conclusion

Our findings should inform intervention services and prevention programs for NSSI and suicidality in youth. Adopting such programs to include culturally sensible modules could improve the outcome in ethnically diverse adolescents.

【 授权许可】

   
2015 Plener et al.

【 图 表 】

Fig.1.

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