Early Adolescent Self-Harm: Examining Prevalence and Risk Factors in a Multi-Ethnic Asian Birth Cohort

Background Early adolescence marks a vulnerable developmental phase for the emergence of self-harm behaviours, which can potentially be life-threatening. However, the prevalence and risk factors of early adolescent self-harm, particularly in non-Western community-based populations, remain underexplored. This study investigated the prevalence and psychosocial correlates of self-harm in a multi-ethnic Asian cohort of 13-year-olds, an age when self-harm commonly emerges. Methods Our sample of 666 participants was embedded in the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) birth cohort in Singapore. Self-harm history and peer exposure to self-harm were assessed using the Risk-taking and Self-harm Inventory for Adolescents at 13 years of age. Parent- and child-reported psychopathology were assessed using the Child Behaviour Checklist, Children’s Depression Inventory, and Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children across multiple time points in childhood. Results Our results showed that by age 13, 20% of adolescents had self-harmed repeatedly. In logistic regression analyses, self-harm was strongly associated with suicidal ideation and attempts, higher depression scores, and exposure to other’s self-harm behaviours. No significant sex differences were observed in our early adolescent sample. Conclusions The findings highlight depression and social exposure as potential targets for intervention.