Due to copyright issues, an electronic copy of the thesis must be ordered from the faculty. For the faculty to have time to process the order, the order must be received by the faculty at the latest 2 days before the public defence. Orders received later than 2 days before the defence will not be processed. After the public defence, please address any inquiries regarding the thesis to the candidate.
Trial Lecture – time and place
See Trial Lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Associate Professor Maria Zetterqvist, Linköping University, Sweden
- Second opponent: Department Director Dagfinn Mørkrid Thøgersen, NUBU - The Norwegian Center for Child Behavioural Development, Norway
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Professor Øyvind Rø, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Professor Theresa Wilberg, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Professor Lars Mehlum, University of Oslo
Summary
Self-harm behaviour (self-injury and/or suicide attempts) has often an early age of onset and is associated with increased risk of future suicidal behaviour, borderline personality disorder (BPD), and poor mental health.
In her thesis «Self-harm behaviour among adolescents in outpatient mental health services», psychologist Anne Brager-Larsen and her colleagues studied whether the age of self-harm onset and duration of self-harm may affect the frequency of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) behaviour and suicide attempts. They also examined whether adolescents meeting various criteria for Borderline personality disorder (BPD) exhibit distinguishing characteristics, and studied characteristics of the newly proposed DSM-5 diagnosis Non-suicidal Self-injury Disorder (NSSID).
The thesis shows that a lower age of self-harm onset and a longer duration of self-harm were uniquely, and in interaction, significantly associated with increased number of subsequent episodes of NSSI and the risk of suicide attempts. Adolescents with a diagnosis of BPD had significantly higher numbers of co-morbid DSM-5 disorders, lower functioning, a higher number of suicide attempts, and used a higher number of self-harm methods compared to adolescents without BPD. Results also revealed that adolescents with the newly suggested diagnosis NSSID reported significantly more frequent NSSI behaviour, as well as more frequent suicide attempts. Additionally, they exhibited significantly lower functioning and higher numbers of comorbid disorders, compared to adolescents without NSSID.
Adolescents with self-harm behaviour need effective and specific interventions aimed at addressing their dysfunctional self-harm behaviour, difficulties with emotional regulation, and symptoms of BPD at an earlier stage of symptom development rather than later.
Additional information
Contact the research support staff.