Hinze Verena, Ford Tamsin, Evans Robin, Gjelsvik Bergljot, Crane Catherine
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Psychol Med. 2021 Mar 15;52(15):1-10. doi: 10.1017/S0033291721000295.
Self-harm thoughts and behaviours (SHTBs) are a serious public health concern in young people. Emerging research suggests that pain may be an important correlate of SHTBs in young people. However, it remains unclear whether this association is driven by the shared association with other correlates of SHTBs. This study used network analysis to delineate the relationship between SHTBs, pain and other correlates of SHTBs in a population-based sample of young people.
We performed secondary analyses, using data from 7977 young people aged 5-16 years who participated in the British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey in 2004. We used χ2 tests and network analysis to examine the complex interplay between SHTBs, pain and other correlates of SHTBs, including psychiatric disorders, childhood trauma, stressful life events, parental distress, family dysfunction, peer problems and inhibitory control deficits.
Pain was associated with a doubled risk of SHTBs, and likewise, SHTBs were associated with a doubled risk of pain. Furthermore, network analysis showed that although pain was significantly associated with all measured correlates of SHTBs, except family dysfunction, pain was most strongly associated with SHTBs, after accounting for these measured correlates.
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to utilise network analysis to provide novel insights into the complex relationship between SHTBs, pain and other known correlates of SHTBs in young people. Results suggest that pain is an independent correlate of SHTBs. Future research should aim to identify underlying mechanisms.
自我伤害想法和行为（SHTBs）是年轻人中一个严重的公共卫生问题。新出现的研究表明，疼痛可能是年轻人SHTBs的一个重要相关因素。然而，这种关联是否由与SHTBs其他相关因素的共同关联驱动仍不清楚。本研究使用网络分析来描绘基于人群的年轻样本中SHTBs、疼痛和SHTBs其他相关因素之间的关系。
我们进行了二次分析，使用了来自7977名5至16岁参与2004年英国儿童和青少年心理健康调查的年轻人的数据。我们使用卡方检验和网络分析来研究SHTBs、疼痛和SHTBs其他相关因素（包括精神障碍、童年创伤、压力性生活事件、父母苦恼、家庭功能障碍、同伴问题和抑制控制缺陷）之间的复杂相互作用。
疼痛与SHTBs风险翻倍相关，同样，SHTBs与疼痛风险翻倍相关。此外，网络分析表明，尽管疼痛与除家庭功能障碍外所有测量的SHTBs相关因素显著相关，但在考虑这些测量的相关因素后，疼痛与SHTBs的关联最为强烈。
据我们所知，这是第一项利用网络分析来深入了解年轻人中SHTBs、疼痛和SHTBs其他已知相关因素之间复杂关系的研究。结果表明疼痛是SHTBs的一个独立相关因素。未来的研究应旨在确定潜在机制。
