“I hurt myself because…” Self-harming behaviors in adolescents: identification of factors

Abstract

Self-injurious behaviours in adolescents can impede the free development of their person, and are a potentiator of suicidal ideation and behaviour. They are classified as violence towards oneself. The aim of the present study is to identify the factors that contribute to the emergence of these self-harming (self-destructive) behaviours; they stand out as a way in which some adolescents express their emotional pain or seek relief. In this study, and based on a qualitative approach with an exploratory design, the aim is to identify aspects of the subject. The research setting was virtual, and was used to collect data from a structured questionnaire in which predisposing factors such as family
dynamics, social relationships, negative thoughts, coping, as well as social and professional support received are addressed. The population consisted of adolescents 18-20 years of age. After exploring self-injurious behaviours in late adolescents, psychological and social factors that contribute to these behaviours are highlighted, such as family dynamics, interpersonal relationships, situations of violence, thoughts about past experiences. It is important to mention that adolescence is a phase in which individuals face challenges of autonomy and identity, and thus the importance of overcoming this stage. Likewise, there are obstacles that prevent the full development of potential, and sometimes adolescents may engage in self-injurious behaviour in order to express through the body what they find difficult to express in other ways.