Youth self-harm in low- and middle-income countries: Systematic review of the risk and protective factors

Abstract

The 12-month prevalence rates of youth self-harm in LMICs are comparable to high-income countries (HICs). The profile of risk and protective factors suggests that family-based interventions could be useful in treatment and prevention. Future studies should aim for greater consistency in assessment methods and the constructs under evaluation.

Pediatric Trauma Care in Low Resource Settings: Challenges, Opportunities, and Solutions

“…Poverty, lack of education, poor quality controls and absent legislation regarding certain products are some of the challenges that exacerbate this problem. Suicide from intentional poisoning point to the significant challenge of mental illness in LMICs and the inadequate resources available to combat this problem ( 35 , 36 ). Nearly a million people die each year as a result of suicide, and chemicals account for a significant number of these deaths.…”

Self-Harm among Young People Detained in the Youth Justice System in Sri Lanka

“…First, to our knowledge, ours is the first published estimate of the prevalence of self-harm in young people detained in the youth justice system in Sri Lanka. Data relating to adolescent self-harm in low- and middles-income countries are scarce 66 [ 6 , 67 ], but data from adolescents detained in the justice system in such countriesis non-existent in the published literature, highlighting the novel nature of our findings. Second, our response rate of 92% was very high and our sample was representative of all young people convicted of similar offences during the data collection period.…”

“…Self-harm and suicidal behaviours are common in adolescence in both high-income countries [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ] and low- and middle-income countries [ 6 , 7 , 8 ] including Sri Lanka [ 9 , 10 ]. Risk factors for self-harm include a history of adversity in childhood, mental illness, and substance use [ 11 ], all of which are disproportionately prevalent in young people who come into contact with the youth justice system [ 12 , 13 ].…”

“…While there has been some research into self-harm in Sri Lanka [ 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ], it has largely focused on adults, and there are no published accounts of the epidemiology of self-harm in young people in detention in the youth justice system in Sri Lanka. Societal and cultural differences between low- and middle-income countries- such as Sri Lanka- and high-income countries could have a significant impact on the epidemiology of self-harm in young people [ 6 ], particularly in vulnerable groups such as those involved in the youth justice system. This missing knowledge is a prerequisite for informing targeted, evidence-based responses to reduce the risk of self-harm in this marginalized and vulnerable population.…”

Integrating Urban Adolescent Mental Health Into Urban Sustainability Collective Action: An Application of Shiffman & Smith’s Framework for Global Health Prioritization

“…Suicide is the second leading killer of older adolescents (24), and the prevalence of self-harm and suicidal behaviors is as high as 15%-31% and 3%-4.7%, respectively, among adolescents in LMICs (25). Self-harm elevates risk of future suicide 30-100 fold (26,27). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, which include the rights to health, education, and freedom from neglect, codify adolescents' rights to treatment of mental illness and promotion of mental health (28,29).…”