Self-harm in adolescence and the influence of gender and peer networks

无论是在英国还是在国际上，青少年自残都是一个日益受到关注的公共卫生问题。自残是后来自杀的主要风险因素，自杀是25岁之前死亡的第二大原因。自残在女性中更为常见，2011年至2014年间，英国13-16岁女孩的自残发生率比同龄男孩增加了68%。虽然男孩和女孩都有自残行为，但青春期男孩的自残行为正受到越来越多的关注。青少年自残是一个令人担忧的现象。有证据表明，男孩和女孩在自残的方式和风险因素上有所不同。我们不清楚自我伤害在青春期的女孩和男孩中是否意味着同样的事情，也不清楚他们之间的过程、风险和保护因素是什么。重要的是调查青少年对自残的看法和解释，确定导致个人自残的具体因素，并确定可能增加和减少自残可能性的因素。这个博士项目的目的是研究青少年自我伤害的性别差异问题。主要的研究问题有：1。青春期男孩和女孩的自残率不同吗？男孩和女孩的自残方式不同吗？2. 在男孩和女孩的社交网络中，自我伤害的传播方式不同吗？为什么会这样？女孩是否比男孩更多地寻求自我伤害的帮助？男孩的自残行为是否更隐蔽？3. 自残对男孩和女孩的意义是一样的吗？4. 男孩们对自残的理解是什么？这些问题将通过(i)对自我伤害的性别差异进行系统审查来解决；（ii）利用伦敦南部（联合王国）弹性、种族和青少年心理健康队列（REACH）的纵向数据进行定量和社会网络分析；（iii）对REACH队列中的15-20名青春期男孩进行半结构化定性访谈。

Self-harm in adolescence is a growing public health concern both in the UK and internationally. Self-harm is the leading risk factor for later suicide, and suicide is the second leading cause of death before the age of 25. Self-harm is more commonly reported in women and a 68% increase in self-harm incidence was observed among girls aged 13-16 between 2011 and 2014 in the UK compared with boys of the same age. While both boys and girls engage in self-harm, self-harm among adolescent boys is receiving growing attention. Self-harm among adolescents is a concerning phenomenon. There is evidence to suggest that boys and girls differ in the ways they self-harm and their risk factors for it. We do not have a clear understanding about if self-harm means the same thing in adolescent girls and boys and what the processes, risks and protective factors are between them. It is important to investigate perceptions and interpretations of self-harm in adolescents, determine the specific factors that precipitate it for an individual and identify factors that could increase and decrease the likelihood of self-harm. The aim of this PhD project is to examine questions on the gender differences in adolescents who self-harm. The main research questions are: 1. Are the rates of self-harm different in adolescent boys and girls and do boys and girls self-harm in different ways? 2. Does self-harm spread differently across social networks in boys and girls and why is this? Do girls seek help for self-harm more than boys? Is self-harm more hidden among boys? 3. Does self-harm mean the same thing to both boys and girls? 4. What do boys understand self-harm to mean? These questions will be addressed through (i) a systematic review on gender differences in self-harm; (ii) utilising longitudinal data from the Resilience, Ethnicity and Adolescent Mental Health (REACH) cohort in south London (UK) to conduct quantitative and social network analyses; and (iii) conducting semi-structured qualitative interviews with 15-20 adolescent boys from the REACH cohort.