An Investigation of Differences Between Self-Injurious Behavior and Suicide Attempts in a Sample of Adolescents

Data from 390 high school students were collected to examine potential differences between adolescents who had attempted suicide & those who engaged in self-injurious behavior on measures of depression, suicidal ideation, & attitudes toward life & death. Significant differences were found between controls & the self-harm groups on all dependent variables. A significant difference on attitudes toward life was found between the self-injury & suicide attempt groups. Post-hoc regression analyses showed that measures of depression, suicide ideation, & attitudes towards life predicted participants’ self-harm categorization. (39 refs)