Login
Type: 
Back to Topic
Click to Print
Useful Websites
Glossary Term Selection
Risk factors for self-harm behaviour
Any of the following risk factors may make a young person vulnerable to self-harm:
Individual factors
- low mood/anxiety
- an existing psychological or developmental difficulty (e.g. Asperger syndrome, learning difficulty)
- difficulty communicating
- low self-esteem
- poor problem-solving skills
- hopelessness
- impulsivity
- drug or alcohol abuse
- confusion about sexuality or feeling different/unaccepted (e.g. if gay, lesbian or bisexual).
Family factors
- unreasonable expectations
- religious/ethnicity/cultural identity dilemmas or conflict
- young carers’ role within the family
- domestic violence
- neglect or abuse (physical, sexual or emotional)
- poor parental relationships and arguments
- depression, deliberate self-harm or suicide in the family.
Want to see the rest of this article?
Would you like to see the rest of this article and all the other benefits that Issues Online can provide with?
