Unanswered questions in adolescent self-harm: A closer look at impulsivity

Research to date suggests that as many as 12-15% of young people engage in selfharm. Elevated levels of impulsivity have been found amongst adolescents who selfharm; however, this association requires further research, particularly relating to gender differences. Therefore the present study sought to clarify the role of impulsivity in adolescent self-harm in a community sample (n = 1111). School and university students completed a questionnaire which encompassed a broad range of psychological domains with selected social and environmental factors. The study confirms prior research suggesting that adolescents who self-harm are more impulsive than adolescents who do not self-harm. In addition, although there is no overall gender difference in impulsivity, the present study found that among adolescents who have self-harmed recently, males were substantially more impulsive than females. These findings have important clinical implications, as impulsivity has been associated with increased risk for repetitive selfharm and completed suicide.