About the project
The prevalence of self-harm in young people is increasing whilst the age of self-harm onset is decreasing. Prevention and early identification of self-harm is critical to prevent additional adverse outcomes. The majority of research to date has focused on self-harm during adolescence and adulthood. Little is known about the prevalence of childhood self-harm in the general population, its risk factors, and likely outcomes. The CHARM project is uniquely positioned to answer these questions, with data on self-harm behaviours in children as young as three and longitudinally up to age 16 years. This is combined with a wealth of longitudinal data including questionnaires, linkage to national health registries, genetic data, parent data and detailed environmental exposure data. The CHARM project will leverage this resource to build the most detailed picture to date of the emergence, persistence and aetiology of childhood self-harm in the general population. Furthermore, we will apply genetic epidemiology techniques to strengthen causal inference, which increases the likelihood of interventions being effective. Together, these analyses will paint a rich picture of an understudied phenotype and help inform intervention design to prevent childhood self-harm and consequently prevent later adverse outcomes.
Objectives
The primary aim of the CHARM project is to better understand the phenotype of childhood self-harm and consequently, identify intervention targets to prevent its occurrence. This will be achieved through three secondary aims:
- Characterise childhood self-harm – estimate the prevalence, persistence, patterns of change, and associations with other mental health traits
- Identify causal risk/protective factors – using a wealth of longitudinal cohort data, we can test previously hypothesised as well as novel predictors. We will use causal inference techniques and family designs to strengthen conclusions
- Understand how to promote resilience – we will identify protective factors that alleviate genetic risk for childhood self-harm
Ethical Approval
The current study was approved by The Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics (REK project number: 2016/1702).
Further information
Project description: Understanding the aetiology of childhood self-harm in the general population: An epidemiological approach
