Australian teens, especially one-third of girls, have considered self-harm in the last 12 months. This is a trend of concern in the light of the deterioration of mental health in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Raised in Australia: A longitudinal study of Australian children is a major ongoing study tracking 10,000 young Australians and their families since 2003.
In that study Adolescent self-harm, It surveyed teens aged 14 to 17 and found that 30% were thinking about self-harm and 18% reported self-harm.
“Navigating the world as a young person can be difficult, and it is clear that managing the thoughts and behaviors of self-harm is an important aspect of adolescent health care delivery,” the report said. author Pilar Rio Seco said..
Girls are much more likely to think about self-harm, with nearly half (42%) of girls reporting self-harm, compared to 18% of boys. Similarly, girls reported more self-harm (26%) than boys (9%).
Girls are also more likely to engage in self-harm repeatedly, with approximately 7% of girls committing self-harm in both age groups 14-15 and 16-17, compared to 1% of boys. I am reporting.
Most worrisome is that repeated self-harm over time is strongly associated with suicidal behaviour. 65% reported suicide attempts between the ages of 16 and 17.
“While both genders have a high rate of self-harm thoughts and behaviors, it’s alarming to see how common they are among girls,” said Rio Seco.
The report found that particularly strong family relationships with parents were the key to preventing the idea of self-harm.
“It is imperative that parents, caregivers and schools have the right skillsets and provide the support they need to support adolescents during this period,” said Rioseco. “Ultimately, we need to look at the thoughts and behaviors of self-harm, what they are, how to respond to increasing stress and how to relieve emotional pain.”
“Integrated care involving families, schools and communities is urgently needed to enhance the safety of these afflicted adolescents, both in the short and long term.”
This study found that parental mental health and parenting approaches are the basis of a child’s well-being in adulthood and that active parenting practices are one of the key means of reducing the risk of self-harm in adolescents. Advocated to promote.
The study also found that adolescents attending Catholic or independent secondary school were less likely to self-harm. Children with non-English backgrounds were also half as likely to report self-harm.
of analysis When the Australian National University (ANU) investigated the mental health of Australian children during COVID-19, adolescents and young adults were of particular concern.
“We found that 71% of Australian parents and caregivers between the ages of 15 and 18 reported poor mental health in their children,” said ANU professor and co-author. Nicholas Biddle said.. “Most of this is due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially the long-term blockade.”
Mental health status was found to be about the same across genders. This suggests that boys and girls behave differently when under mental health stress.
During the COVID-19 time limit, teens spend more time on the Internet and social media, contributing to lower mental health.
An internal Facebook survey found that Instagram is detrimental to teenagers’ well-being, self-esteem, life satisfaction, mood, and body image, especially girls. However, authorities ignored the findings and continued to operate as usual.
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Kids Helpline (5-25 years old): 1800 55 1800
Beyond Blue: 1800 512 348
Call 000 in case of emergency
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