Can participation in organized sports help adolescents refrain from self-harm? An analysis of underlying mechanisms

AbstractPsychotic experiences (PEs), including hallucination- and delusion-like experiences, are robustly associated with self-injurious thoughts and behaviours (SITB) in the general population. However, it remains unclear as to why there is an association. The purpose of this systematic review was to elucidate the role of other factors that influence the association between PEs and SITB and, in doing so, highlight potential mechanisms underlying the relationship. A search of electronic international databases was undertaken, including PubMed, PsycINFO and EMBASE, and eligible studies were grouped according to seven confounder categories: sociodemographics, mental disorders, alcohol and substance use, environmental, psychological, intervention and family history/genetic factors. The systematic search strategy identified 41 publications reporting on 1 39 427 participants from 16 different countries. In the majority of studies, where adjustment for other variables occurred, the association between PEs and SITB persisted, suggesting PEs have an independent role. Common mental disorders, psychological distress and negative environmental exposures explained a substantial amount of the variance and therefore need to be considered as potential underlying mechanisms. There was high variability in the variables adjusted for in these studies, and so the question still remains as to whether the association between PEs and self-harm/suicidality can be attributed (fully or in part) to confounding and mediating factors or directly causal mechanisms. Regardless of causality, the now extensive literature reporting an association between these two clinical phenomena supports the broad usefulness of PEs as an indicator of risk for SITB.

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The limits of human performance

Essays in Biochemistry ◽

10.1042/bse0440011 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 44 ◽

pp. 11-26 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Ralph Beneke ◽

Dieter Böning

Keyword(s):

Human Performance ◽

Safety Margin ◽

Afferent Input ◽

Metabolic Energy ◽

Human Organism ◽

Mechanical Resistance ◽

As Doping ◽

Gene And Protein Expression ◽

Underlying Mechanisms ◽

Biochemical Research

Human performance, defined by mechanical resistance and distance per time, includes human, task and environmental factors, all interrelated. It requires metabolic energy provided by anaerobic and aerobic metabolic energy sources. These sources have specific limitations in the capacity and rate to provide re-phosphorylation energy, which determines individual ratios of aerobic and anaerobic metabolic power and their sustainability. In healthy athletes, limits to provide and utilize metabolic energy are multifactorial, carefully matched and include a safety margin imposed in order to protect the integrity of the human organism under maximal effort. Perception of afferent input associated with effort leads to conscious or unconscious decisions to modulate or terminate performance; however, the underlying mechanisms of cerebral control are not fully understood. The idea to move borders of performance with the help of biochemicals is two millennia old. Biochemical findings resulted in highly effective substances widely used to increase performance in daily life, during preparation for sport events and during competition, but many of them must be considered as doping and therefore illegal. Supplements and food have ergogenic potential; however, numerous concepts are controversially discussed with respect to legality and particularly evidence in terms of usefulness and risks. The effect of evidence-based nutritional strategies on adaptations in terms of gene and protein expression that occur in skeletal muscle during and after exercise training sessions is widely unknown. Biochemical research is essential for better understanding of the basic mechanisms causing fatigue and the regulation of the dynamic adaptation to physical and mental training.

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Parental Mental Illness in Childhood as a Risk Factor for Suicidal and Self-Harm Ideations in Adults Seeking Help for Tinnitus and/or Hyperacusis

American Journal of Audiology ◽

10.1044/2019_aja-18-0059 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 527-533

Author(s):

Hashir Aazh ◽

Michael Landgrebe ◽

Ali A. Danesh

Keyword(s):

Mental Illness ◽

Risk Factor ◽

Parental Mental Illness ◽

Seeking Help ◽

Self Harm

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Adolescents’ self-mutilation - Relationship with dependent behaviour

Swiss Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1024/1421-0185.62.4.241 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 62 (4) ◽

pp. 241-249 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

M. Bolognini ◽

B. Plancherel ◽

J. Laget ◽

P. Stéphan ◽

O. Halfon

Keyword(s):

Suicide Attempts ◽

Clinical Sample ◽

Control Sample ◽

Clinical Population ◽

Control Group ◽

Clinical Group ◽

Self Mutilation ◽

Self Harm ◽

Partial Overlap ◽

The Relationship

The aim of this study, which was carried out in the French-speacking part of Switzerland, was to examine the relationship between suicide attempts and self-mutilation by adolescents and young adults. The population, aged 14-25 years (N = 308), included a clinical sample of dependent subjects (drug abuse and eating disorders) compared to a control sample. On the basis of the Mini Neuropsychiatric Interview ( Sheehan et al., 1998 ), DSM-IV criteria were used for the inclusion of the clinical population. The results concerning the occurrence of suicide attempts as well as on self-mutilation confirm most of the hypotheses postulated: suicidal attempts and self-mutilation were more common in the clinical group compared to the control group, and there was a correlation between suicide attempts and self-mutilation. However, there was only a partial overlap, attesting that suicide and self-harm might correspond to two different types of behaviour.

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A Pilot Study on the Efficacy of Volunteer Mentorship for Young Adults With Self-Harm Behaviors Using a Quasi-Experimental Design

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000393 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 37 (6) ◽

pp. 415-426 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Yik-Wa Law ◽

Paul S. F. Yip ◽

Carmen C. S. Lai ◽

Chi Leung Kwok ◽

Paul W. C. Wong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Experimental Design ◽

Suicide Ideation ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Well Being ◽

Control Group ◽

Treatment As Usual ◽

Prevention Services ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Self Harm ◽

Volunteer Support

Abstract. Background: Studies have shown that postdischarge care for self-harm patients is effective in reducing repeated suicidal behaviors. Little is known about whether volunteer support can help reduce self-harm repetition and improve psychosocial well-being. Aim: This study investigated the efficacy of volunteer support in preventing repetition of self-harm. Method: This study used a quasi-experimental design by assigning self-harm patients admitted to the emergency departments to an intervention group with volunteer support and treatment as usual (TAU) for 9 months and to a control group of TAU. Outcome measures include repetition of self-harm, suicidal ideation, hopelessness, and level of depressive and anxiety symptoms. Results: A total of 74 cases were recruited (38 participants; 36 controls). There were no significant differences in age, gender, and clinical condition between the two groups at the baseline. The intervention group showed significant improvements in hopelessness and depressive symptoms. However, the number of cases of suicide ideation and of repetition of self-harm episodes was similar for both groups at the postintervention period. Conclusion: Postdischarge care provided by volunteers showed significant improvement in hopelessness and depression. Volunteers have been commonly involved in suicide prevention services. Further research using rigorous methods is recommended for improving service quality in the long term.

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Analyzing Language in Suicide Notes and Legacy Tokens

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000363 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 37 (2) ◽

pp. 140-147 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Michael J. Egnoto ◽

Darrin J. Griffin

Keyword(s):

Text Analysis ◽

Low Cost ◽

Computer Software ◽

Student Writing ◽

Computer Assisted ◽

Automated Identification ◽

Completed Suicide ◽

Suicide Notes ◽

Self Harm ◽

Harm To Others

Abstract. Background: Identifying precursors that will aid in the discovery of individuals who may harm themselves or others has long been a focus of scholarly research. Aim: This work set out to determine if it is possible to use the legacy tokens of active shooters and notes left from individuals who completed suicide to uncover signals that foreshadow their behavior. Method: A total of 25 suicide notes and 21 legacy tokens were compared with a sample of over 20,000 student writings for a preliminary computer-assisted text analysis to determine what differences can be coded with existing computer software to better identify students who may commit self-harm or harm to others. Results: The results support that text analysis techniques with the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) tool are effective for identifying suicidal or homicidal writings as distinct from each other and from a variety of student writings in an automated fashion. Conclusion: Findings indicate support for automated identification of writings that were associated with harm to self, harm to others, and various other student writing products. This work begins to uncover the viability or larger scale, low cost methods of automatic detection for individuals suffering from harmful ideation.

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Coping Style as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Depressive Symptoms and Deliberate Self-Harm

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000083 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 32 (5) ◽

pp. 272-279 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Allison S. Christian ◽

Kristen M. McCabe

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Self Report ◽

Hierarchical Regression ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Deliberate Self Harm ◽

Self Blame ◽

Self Harm ◽

The Relationship

Background: Deliberate self-harm (DSH) occurs with high frequency among clinical and nonclinical youth populations. Although depression has been consistently linked with the behavior, not all depressed individuals engage in DSH. Aims: The current study examined maladaptive coping strategies (i.e., self-blame, distancing, and self-isolation) as mediators between depression and DSH among undergraduate students. Methods: 202 students from undergraduate psychology courses at a private university in Southern California (77.7% women) completed anonymous self-report measures. Results: A hierarchical regression model found no differences in DSH history across demographic variables. Among coping variables, self-isolation alone was significantly related to DSH. A full meditational model was supported: Depressive symptoms were significantly related to DSH, but adding self-isolation to the model rendered the relationship nonsignificant. Limitations: The cross-sectional study design prevents determination of whether a casual relation exists between self-isolation and DSH, and obscures the direction of that relationship. Conclusions: Results suggest targeting self-isolation as a means of DSH prevention and intervention among nonclinical, youth populations.

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Orienting and Focusing in Voluntary and Involuntary Visuospatial Attention Conditions

Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1027/0269-8803/a000010 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 198-209 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Yan Wang ◽

Jianhui Wu ◽

Shimin Fu ◽

Yuejia Luo

Keyword(s):

Gain Control ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Stimulus Onset ◽

Orientation Discrimination ◽

Involuntary Attention ◽

Attention Condition ◽

Voluntary Attention ◽

Visual Spatial ◽

Related Potentials ◽

Underlying Mechanisms

In the present study, we used event-related potentials (ERPs) and behavioral measurements in a peripherally cued line-orientation discrimination task to investigate the underlying mechanisms of orienting and focusing in voluntary and involuntary attention conditions. Informative peripheral cue (75% valid) with long stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) was used in the voluntary attention condition; uninformative peripheral cue (50% valid) with short SOA was used in the involuntary attention condition. Both orienting and focusing were affected by attention type. Results for attention orienting in the voluntary attention condition confirmed the “sensory gain control theory,” as attention enhanced the amplitude of the early ERP components, P1 and N1, without latency changes. In the involuntary attention condition, compared with invalid trials, targets in the valid trials elicited larger and later contralateral P1 components, and smaller and later contralateral N1 components. Furthermore, but only in the voluntary attention condition, targets in the valid trials elicited larger N2 and P3 components than in the invalid trials. Attention focusing in the involuntary attention condition resulted in larger P1 components elicited by targets in small-cue trials compared to large-cue trials, whereas in the voluntary attention condition, larger P1 components were elicited by targets in large-cue trials than in small-cue trials. There was no interaction between orienting and focusing. These results suggest that orienting and focusing of visual-spatial attention are deployed independently regardless of attention type. In addition, the present results provide evidence of dissociation between voluntary and involuntary attention during the same task.

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Information-Seeking on the Internet

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000307 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 36 (3) ◽

pp. 211-219 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Vinod Singaravelu ◽

Anne Stewart ◽

Joanna Adams ◽

Sue Simkin ◽

Keith Hawton

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Young People ◽

Information Seeking ◽

Significant Proportion ◽

The Internet ◽

Search Terms ◽

Specific Advice ◽

Restriction Sites ◽

Self Harm ◽

Negative Tone

Abstract. Background: The Internet is used by young people at risk of self-harm to communicate, find information, and obtain support. Aims: We aimed to identify and analyze websites potentially accessed by these young people. Method: Six search terms, relating to self-harm/suicide and depression, were input into four search engines. Websites were analyzed for access, content/purpose, and tone. Results: In all, 314 websites were included in the analysis. Most could be accessed without restriction. Sites accessed by self-harm/suicide search terms were mostly positive or preventive in tone, whereas sites accessed by the term ways to kill yourself tended to have a negative tone. Information about self-harm methods was common with specific advice on how to self-harm in 15.8% of sites, encouragement of self-harm in 7.0%, and evocative images of self-harm/suicide in 20.7%. Advice on how to get help was given in 56.1% of sites. Conclusion: Websites relating to suicide or self-harm are easily accessed. Many sites are potentially helpful. However, a significant proportion of sites are potentially harmful through normalizing or encouraging self-harm. Enquiry regarding Internet use should be routinely included while assessing young people at risk.

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