Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Psychiatry. Mar 19, 2024; 14(3): 398-408
Published online Mar 19, 2024. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v14.i3.398
Deliberate self-harm among pediatric psychiatric inpatients in China: A single-center retrospective study
Xing-Zhi Jiang, Huan-Huan Li, Zhen-Zhen Yu, Chen Wang
Xing-Zhi Jiang, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, Shenzhen Mental Health Center, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Psychological Healthcare and Shenzhen Institute of Mental Health, Shenzhen 518020, Guangdong Province, China
Xing-Zhi Jiang, Department of Psychiatry, Xiamen Xianyue Hospital, Xiamen 361012, Fujian Province, China
Huan-Huan Li, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116000, Liaoning Province, China
Zhen-Zhen Yu, Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen Medical College, Xiamen 361000, Fujian Province, China
Chen Wang, Department of Neurology and Department of Neuroscience, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361000, Fujian Province, China
Co-first authors: Xing-Zhi Jiang and Huan-Huan Li.
Co-corresponding authors: Chen Wang and Zhen-Zhen Yu.
Author contributions: Jiang XZ contributed to the study conception and design, drafting manuscript, data analysis and interpretation, critical revision of article for important intellectual content; Li HH contributed to the critical revision of article for important intellectual content; Yu ZZ contributed to the study conception and design, critical revision of article for important intellectual content; Wang C contributed to the study conception and design, drafting manuscript, critical revision of article for important intellectual content. Jiang XZ and Li HH contributed equally to this work as co-first authors. The reasons for designating Jiang XZ and Li HH as co-first authors authors are threefold. First, the research was performed as a collaborative effort, and the designation of co-corresponding authorship accurately reflects the distribution of responsibilities and burdens associated with the time and effort required to complete the study and the resultant paper. This also ensures effective communication and management of post-submission matters, ultimately enhancing the paper's quality and reliability. Second, the overall research team encompassed authors with a variety of expertise and skills from different fields, and the designation of co-first authors best reflects this diversity. This also promotes the most comprehensive and in-depth examination of the research topic, ultimately enriching readers' understanding by offering various expert perspectives. Third, Jiang XZ and Li HH contributed efforts of equal substance throughout the research process. The choice of these researchers as co-first authors acknowledges and respects this equal contribution, while recognizing the spirit of teamwork and collaboration of this study. In summary, we believe that designating Jiang XZ and Li HH as co-first authors of is fitting for our manuscript as it accurately reflects our team's collaborative spirit, equal contributions, and diversity. Wang C and Yu ZZ contributed equally to this work as co-corresponding authors. The reasons for designating Wang C and Yu ZZ as co-corresponding authors are threefold. First, the research was performed as a collaborative effort, and the designation of co-corresponding authorship accurately reflects the distribution of responsibilities and burdens associated with the time and effort required to complete the study and the resultant paper. This also ensures effective communication and management of post-submission matters, ultimately enhancing the paper's quality and reliability. Second, the overall research team encompassed authors with a variety of expertise and skills from different fields, and the designation of co-corresponding authors best reflects this diversity. This also promotes the most comprehensive and in-depth examination of the research topic, ultimately enriching readers' understanding by offering various expert perspectives. Third, Wang C and Yu ZZ contributed efforts of equal substance throughout the research process. The choice of these researchers as co-corresponding authors acknowledges and respects this equal contribution, while recognizing the spirit of teamwork and collaboration of this study. In summary, we believe that designating Wang C and Yu ZZ as co-corresponding authors of is fitting for our manuscript as it accurately reflects our team's collaborative spirit, equal contributions, and diversity.
Supported by Shenzhen Fund for Guangdong Provincial High-level Clinical Key Specialties, No. SZGSP013; Shenzhen Key Medical Discipline Construction Fund, No. SZXK042; Sanming Project of Medicine in Shenzhen, No. SZSM202311025; Natural Science Fund of Fujian Province, No. 2023J011622; and Natural Science Fund of Xiamen City, No. 3502Z20224ZD1259.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Xiamen Xianyue Hospital (2019-KY-20).
Informed consent statement: This is a retrospective study that used anonymous clinical data. According to institutional policies, informed consent was not required from patients in this study and the informed consent was waived by the Ethics Committee.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Data sharing statement: The data for this study can be obtained from the corresponding author upon request.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Chen Wang, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology and Department of Neuroscience, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, No. 55 Zhenhai Road, Siming District, Xiamen 361000, Fujian Province, China. wangchen1986xm@163.com
Received: November 25, 2023
Peer-review started: November 25, 2023
First decision: January 12, 2024
Revised: January 22, 2024
Accepted: February 25, 2024
Article in press: February 25, 2024
Published online: March 19, 2024
Processing time: 114 Days and 23.5 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Deliberate self-harm (DSH) in children and adolescents is a serious challenge. Many foreign studies have explored the characteristics and factors of DSH in children and adolescents, but there are few large-scale epidemiological investigations and studies on DSH in China.

Research motivation

The focus of this study is to explore the characteristics and factors related to DSH in children and adolescents from 2014 to 2019 before the epidemic, which can help us explore ways and measures to prevent DSH in children and adolescents.

Research objectives

The purpose of this study was to explore the risk factors associated with DSH.

Research methods

A retrospective study was conducted on 1414 children and adolescents with mental illness who were hospitalized at Xiamen Mental Health Center from 2014 to 2019. chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used to compare the demographic and clinical variables between the DSH group and the non-DSH group, and the candidate risk factors for DSH were screened. Then, multiple logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the statistically significant risk factors further to test the correlation between the variables and DSH. Inputting variables into the model, in turn, selecting the most suitable model for hybrid variable control and identifying the optimal risk factors.

Research results

A total of 239 (16.90%) patients engaged in at least one type of DSH in our study. Cutting was the most common type of DSH. Females were more likely to engage in DSH than males. DSH was positively associated with depressive disorders, female, parental marital status and negative family history of psychiatric illness, but not with occupation, substance use and history of physical abuse.

Research conclusions

The occurrence of DSH should be noted for patients with depression, women, parents with marital abnormalities, and no history of mental illness.

Research perspectives

Future research should further explore the characteristics and influencing factors of DSH in children and adolescents, including outpatient and hospitalization, and carry out multi-center studies.