title: Depressive symptoms and deliberate self-harm in a community sample of adolescents: a prospective study.
abstract: The associations between depressive symptoms and deliberate self-harm were studied by means of a 2-wave longitudinal design in a community sample of 1052 young adolescents, with longitudinal data for 83.6% of the sample. Evidence was found for a bidirectional relationship in girls, with depressive symptoms being a risk factor for increased self-harm one year later and self-harm a risk factor for increased depressive symptoms. Cluster analysis of profiles of depressive symptoms led to the identification of two clusters with clear depressive profiles (one severe, the other mild/moderate) which were both characterized by an overrepresentation of girls and elevated levels of self-harm. Clusters with more circumscribed problems were also identified; of these, significantly increased levels of self-harm were found in a cluster characterized by negative self-image and in a cluster characterized by dysphoric relations to parents. It is suggested that self-harm serves more to regulate negative self-related feelings than sadness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Lund University, Box 213, 221 00 Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lars-Gunnar
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Lundh
authors.forename: Margit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wångby-Lundh
authors.forename: My
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paaske
authors.forename: Stina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ingesson
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bjärehed