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Abstract

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a prevalent behaviour among youth. School is an opportune setting for intervention with this population, but it is unknown how many youth who engage in NSSI would be willing to access school-based support. The current study surveyed 7,126 middle and high school students. Those that indicated that they engaged in NSSI (n = 654; 168 boys, 486 girls) responded to follow-up questions regarding the behaviour and willingness to participate in a school-based support program for NSSI. Self-injurers who responded that they would be willing to access help at school (n = 88; 13.5% of the sample) and a matched group of those who would not be willing were compared on a number of variables. Willingness to access school-based support did not differ by gender or ethnicity but differed between middle and high school students. On indices of NSSI and worries about safety, the adolescents willing to access support reported that they used more methods of injury as well as increased worries about safety in their neighbourhood and sexual harassment.

L’automutilation non-suicidaire (AMNS) est un comportement commun parmi les jeunes. Le milieu scolaire pourrait s’avérer une situation idéale pour une intervention, mais ce n’est pas claire quel nombre de jeunes serait prêt a chercher du support à l’école. Ce projet a recensé 7,126 étudiants du niveau intermédiaire et secondaire. Ceux qui ont indiqué avoir pratiqué de l’automutilation (n = 654; 168 males, 486 femelles) ont complété un questionnaire concernant leur automutilation et leur désir de participer à un programme de support pour l’AMNS à l’école. Les participants qui ont indiqué qu’ils accepteraient de participer à un tel programme (n = 88, 13.5% de l’échantillon) et un groupe de jeunes, appariés pour l’âge et le sexe, qui n’accepteraient pas de participer ont été comparé sur un nombre de variables. Les groupes ne différaient pas par sexe ou ethnicité, mais différaient par niveau scolaire. Ceux qui accepteraient de participer à un programme de support pratiquaient plus de formes d’automutilation et rapportaient avoir plus d’inquiétudes concernant la sécurité de leurs quartiers et le harcèlement sexuelle.

Keywords

nonsuicidal self-injury deliberate self-harm adolescents middle school high school school-based programs

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Adolescents’ Willingness to Access School-Based Support for Nonsuicidal Self-Injury

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