Early puberty link to self-harm risk

CHILDREN who experience puberty earlier than their peers have an increased risk of selfharm in adolescence, according to a study.

Researchers found that earlier onset of puberty in both boys and girls was associated with a higher risk of self-harm when they were aged 16.

They also found some evidence that for girls this increased risk persists into early adulthood.

It is hoped the work could help to identify those at an increased risk of self-harm and to develop early interventions.

The study is the first to use the teenage growth spurt – based on height measurements taken in research clinics – to examine the relationship between the timing of puberty and self-harm.

Elystan Roberts, researcher at the University of Bristol and National Institute for Health Research Bristol Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR Bristol), was the paper’s lead author.

“Our study is the first to investigate the relationship between the timing of puberty and selfharm using an objective measure of pubertal timing in boys,” Mr Roberts said. “There’s evidence that self-harm is becoming more common in young people, so it’s important to identify the factors associated with it.

“We still don’t know a lot about the psychological effects of early puberty in boys so our results will be important for helping to reduce self-harm risk in boys as well as girls.”