Predictors of deliberate self-harm among adolescents: Answers from a cross-sectional study on India

Background Although existing research supports the correlation of hereditary and psychological factors with an adolescent’s deliberate self-harm, there is a dearth of research that focus on their socio-economic characteristics. This paper intends to identity the potential risk factors that influence an adolescent’s deliberate self-harm. Methods Data for this study was obtained from Understanding the Lives of Adolescents and Young Adults (UDAYA) study conducted in 2015–16 with sample of 5,969 adolescent boys and 9,419 girls aged 10–19 years. The outcome variable was deliberate self-harm among adolescents. The explanatory variables added in the study were age, current schooling status, working status, media exposure, access to internet, parental abuse, involvement in fights, substance use, depressive symptoms, caste, religion, wealth index, residence and states. Bivariate analysis along with binary logistic regression analysis was done to fulfill the study objectives. Results About 4.5% and 3.2% of adolescent boys and girls, respectively had deliberate self-harm. The odds of deliberate self-harm were 50 per cent more likely among adolescent girls who had internet access [OR 1.50; CI 1.05–2.16]. The likelihood of deliberate self-harm was 49 per cent and 61 per cent significantly more likely among adolescent boys [OR 1.49; CI 1.11–2.0] and girls [OR 1.61; CI 1.27–2.04] who experienced parental physical abuse respectively. With reference to minimal/mild depressive symptoms, adolescents who had moderate [boys-OR 2.10; CI 1.29–3.4 and girls-OR 2.50; CI 1.774–3.59] or moderately high/severe [boys-OR 4.58; CI 2.88–7.29 and girls-OR 4.18; CI 3.1–5.63] depressive symptoms had significantly higher odds of deliberate self-harm. Conclusions Internet access, parental abuse, involvement in fights, and depressive symptoms emerged as significant predictors of deliberate self-harm among adolescent boys and girls. Results suggest that an early identification of the predictors and intervention might prevent deliberate self-harm among adolescents. Since parents play a major role in the lives and development of adolescents, it is highly recommended that they initiate open and supportive communication with their children.

Early Onset Delinquency and Violent Delinquency in Adolescence: The Role of Abusive Parents and Delinquent Peer Associations

Early onset delinquency is a risk factor for offending over the life-course. This study aims to identify factors that modify the link between early onset of delinquency and later violence. Results show that engaging delinquency earlier, associating with deviant friends, and experiencing parental abuse have independent impacts on increased risk of violence. Also, early onset has positive interactions with peer delinquency and parental abuse. These findings enhance our understanding of the mechanisms through which early onset of delinquency is related to later violence and imply the importance of family- and school-based early interventions. Findings also highlight the importance of considering interactions between early onset delinquency and social risk factors in refining theories used to explain violence throughout the life course.

Use of a child’s image for advertising on social networks

The research is mainly focused on taking legal regulatory measures that ensure the child’s rights to share information on the internet space, because the child is a vulnerable member of society. The current regulatory mechanism is not capable of protecting the rights of a child when his or her image is appropriate for promotional social networks. For this reason, the child may experience parental abuse of power, the child’s right to rest is not guaranteed, as well as the principle of separation of property.