Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to examine prevalence, psychological functions and other clinical features of self-injury in juvenile delinquent population. A self-report questionnaire was implemented for 294 juveniles (204 males and 90 females) who had been admitted to a juvenile detention and assessment center. Approximately two-thirds of participants reported engaging in at least one episode of some form of self-injury. Lifetime prevalence rates were 28.6% for cutting, 28.6% for burning, 33.3% for hitting/punching self, 19.7% for pulling out hair, and 49.7% for biting/scratching. Females reported significantly higher rates of cutting than males (52.2% and 18.1%, respectively), but no significant gender difference was found for other self-injury methods. Also, the self-injury group were more likely to experience suicide attempts, illegal drug use, bulimia episode than non-self-injury group, and showed higher depression and dissociation scores. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a five-factor solution of functions of self-injury: Affect regulation, Show-off, Interpersonal boundaries/Anti-dissociation, Approval-seeking and Selfpunishment. Implications for assessment and treatment of self-injury are also discussed in terms of frequencies of self-injury and gender difference.
