Self-injurious thoughts and behaviors among youth in an underserved area of the Southern United States: exploring the moderating roles of gender, racial/ethnic background, and school-level.
Despite the clinical relevance of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITB) among youth, little is known about the subset of youth most at-risk for SITB. This study examined the moderating roles of gender, racial/ethnic background, and school-level (and their interactions) on rates of SITB within a large (N = 2638, 52.2% female), ethnically-diverse sample of middle- and high-school youth in a relatively poor and underserved area of the Southern United States. Extending extant research in this area, findings indicated a significant interaction between gender and race for self-injurious behaviors, with African-American boys reporting higher rates than all other groups. Findings also indicated significant interactions between school-level and both gender and race for self-injurious thoughts. Whereas comparable levels of self-injurious thoughts were reported across middle- and high-schools for girls and African-American youth, the frequency of these thoughts was higher among both boys and White students in high-school (vs. middle-school). Results highlight the need for further research on SITB among diverse youth in underserved areas.
Latzman
Robert D
RD
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State St., Jackson, MS, 39216, USA. rlatzman@psychiatry.umsmed.edu
Gratz
Kim L
KL
Young
John
J
Heiden
Laurie J
LJ
Damon
John D
JD
Hight
Terry L
TL
D000293:Adolescent; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012574:Schools; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013850:Thinking; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology