Correlates and predictors of self-harm in a prospective sample of sexually assaulted adolescents.

BACKGROUND

Sexual assault of adolescents is associated with negative mental health outcomes, including self-harm. Little is known about correlates and predictors of self-harm after sexual assault. We hypothesized that pre-assault vulnerabilities and post-assault psychological distress would be associated with self-harm after experiencing a recent sexual assault.

METHODS

The sample was recruited from adolescents aged 13 to 17 years accessing sexual assault centers and it included 98 females. Longitudinal data were collected at (3.9 weeks on average post-assault) and (21.8 weeks on average post-assault). Bivariate analysis and hierarchical binary logistic regressions were performed.

RESULTS

The rate of self-harm was 38.1% before the assault and 37.8% after the assault (). History of family dysfunction ( 3.60 (1.30, 10.01)), depressive symptoms at ( 5.83 (2.35, 14.43)) or ( 2.79 (1.20, 6.50), and posttraumatic stress symptoms at ( 3.21 (1.36, 7.58)) predicted self-harm at . These effects were attenuated when adjusting for confounders, except for depressive symptoms at ( 4.21 (1.57, 11.28)).

DISCUSSION

Clinical implications for the prevention of onset or continuation of self-harm following adolescent sexual assault are discussed. Future studies should replicate these findings in a larger sample and consider different trajectories of self-harm.