B3537 - Relationship between early school experiences and adolescent self harm an analysis using the ALSPAC birth cohort - 12/05/2020
Improving the mental health of children and young people is a national priority in the UK. The rate of self-harm amongst adolescents ranges from 6.9 to 18.8 % in the UK. Schools can provide an environment that encourages positive mental health at an early age and prevents poor mental health in later years. Positive relationships with peers and positive perceptions of school connectedness (that is, adolescentsâ sense of belonging and attachment to school) are associated with increases in adolescentsâ psychosocial wellbeing and decreases in the number of mental health issues. School absenteeism is also associated with an increased risk of self-harm. Levels of school absenteeism may be reduced if early school experiences are of a positive nature. There is also an association of suicidal and non-suicidal self-harm with adverse experiences at school and even minor events like not enjoying school or class work and the feeling about teachers being unclear with respect to their behaviour. We will investigate if early school experiences are associated with adolescent self-harm in the ALSPAC cohort.