he AP (6/11, Tanner) reports that even young children may engage in self-harm, also known as nonsuicidal self-injury, according to a study published online June 11 in the journal Pediatrics.
For the study, researchers asked 655 children “whether they’d engaged in any self-harming activities and, if they had, what kind and how often,” the Washington Post (6/11, Huget) “The Checkup” blog reports.
The study revealed that nearly 8% of children in third grade, 4% of children in sixth grade, and 13 percent of teens in ninth grade had engaged in some sort of self-injurious behavior, such as hitting, cutting, or burning themselves, Reuters (6/11, Pittman) reports. Among younger children, the biggest self-injurious behavior was hitting. Teens, however, were more likely to cut themselves. The study authors explained that children who self-harm are often depressed, anxious or angry and engage in the behavior as a way of dealing with these strong emotions.
Related Links:
— “Self-injury starts early with Denver kids, study indicates,”Lindsey Tanner, The Associated Press, June 11, 2012.