Pubertal stage and deliberate self-harm in adolescents
Abstract
Objective To ascertain the association between pubertal stage and deliberate self-harm.Method Cross-sectional survey of 12- to 15-year-olds in 300 secondary schools in the U.S. state of Washington in February-April 2002 and the Australian state of Victoria in June-August 2002. A total of 3,332 students in grades 7 and 9 provided complete data on episodes of deliberate self-harm in the previous 12 months and pubertal stage. Pubertal stage was assessed with the Pubertal Development Scale.Results The prevalence of deliberate self-harm was 3.7% with a more than twofold higher rate in females. Late puberty was associated with a more than fourfold higher rate of self-harm (odds ratio 4.6, 95% confidence interval 1.5-14) after adjustment for age and school grade level. In contrast age had a protective association (odds ratio 0.7, confidence interval 0.4-1.0). The sharpest rises in prevalence across puberty were for self-laceration and self-poisoning in females. Higher rates of depressive symptoms, frequent alcohol use, and initiation of sexual activity largely accounted for the association between self-harm and pubertal stage in multivariate models.Conclusions Puberty is associated with changes in the form and frequency of self-harm. For adolescents with a gap between puberty and brain development, risk factors such as early sexual activity and substance abuse may be particularly potent.
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Internalizing disorders are associated specifically with pubertal processes rather than with age, suggesting the relationship is not due solely to psychosocial factors common to a chronologically defined stage of adolescence.
“Internalizing disorders are known to be associated specifically with pubertal processes rather than with age, suggesting that the relationship is not due solely to psychosocial factors common to individuals at a chronologically-defined stage of adolescence.(25,26)”
From Puberty Initiates Cascading Relationships Between Neurodevelopmental, Social, and Internalizing Processes Across Adolescence (2021) · cites this paper as [25]
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- Authors
- PATTON, G. C., HEMPHILL, S. A., BEYERS, J. M., BOND, L., TOUMBOUROU, J. W., McMORRIS, B. J., & CATALANO, R. F.
- Affiliations
- The University of Melbourne (AU)
- Corresponding author
- PATTON, GEORGE C.
- Venue
- Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2007-04
- Volume
- 46
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 508-514
- ISSN
- 0890-8567 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2055264922
- Cited by
- 148
- References
- 54
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 8.33
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Victoria University Research Repository (Victoria University) (submittedVersion)
- Research Bank (Australian Catholic University) (submittedVersion)
- Deakin Research Online (Deakin University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA012140, DA-12140)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Keywords
- self-harm, pubertal stage, delayed puberty, adolescents, self-poisoning, depressive symptoms, alcohol consumption, sex differences, Pubertal Development Scale
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Mental Disorders, Child, Cross-Sectional Studies, Depression, Female, Humans, Male, Puberty, Risk Factors, Sexual Behavior, Victoria, Washington, Prevalence, Odds Ratio, Self-Injurious Behavior, Substance-Related Disorders
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