Helping to Enhance Adolescent Living (H.E.A.L.ing): Coping with Emotional

Problems

Emily Berger1 & Tori Andrews2

1School of Psychology & Psychiatry

Monash University

2Discipline of Psychiatry

The University of Queensland

AUSTRALIAN RESEARCH COUNCIL

Acknowledgements

Research Team

• Prof Graham Martin, OAM

• Dr Penny Hasking

• Lauren Friend

• Sophie Aitken

• Tori Andrews

• Emily Berger

H.E.A.L.ing: Coping with Emotional Problems

An ARC funded study of how adolescents cope with the

stressors of daily life and how we can prevent later distress

2,500 secondary school students will be recruited

Accelerated longitudinal design: 3 time points, 12 months

apart

Measures

• Demographic information

• Attachment

• Personality

• Self-Efficacy

• Help Seeking

• Self-injury

• Perceptions of self-injury

• Brief Reasons for Living• Self-Efficacy

• Self-Esteem

• Social Support

• Optimism

• Coping styles

• Emotional Regulation

• Rumination

• Brief Reasons for Living

• General Mental Health

• Stressful Life Events

• Psychosis

• Alcohol Consumption

• Alcohol Abuse

• Drug Use and Smoking

• Reactions to questionnaire

H.E.A.L.ing: Coping with Emotional Problems Project

Predisposing Factors Resilience Self-injury and Correlates

Self-injuryDemographic

factors

Historical factors

Personality

Coping strategies

Emotion regulation

Social support

Self-injury

Suicidal ideation

Substance use

Psychological distress

Current progress

Projected 2,500 – 3,000 students for Time 1

47 secondary schools:47 secondary schools:

QLD: 23 schools

NSW: 2 schools

NT: 2 schools

SA: 10 schoolsVIC: 6 schoolsTAS: 4 schools

Time 1 finishes in November 2010

Descriptive results

Total = 1150 young people

Males = 14% (n=162)

Females = 86% (n=988)

Mean age = 13.91

Thought about self-injury = 22.1% (n=225)

Lifetime prevalence of self-injury = 10% (n=115)

Not told anyone about self-injury = 30.4% (n=35)

Mean age of onset: 13 years old

Mean age of last episode: 14 years old

Descriptive results

Methods Cutting 60.1% (n=70)

Hitting self with fists or other objects 9.6% (n=11)

Hitting head or self against hard objects 5.2% (n=6)

Scratching 4.3% (n=5)

Frequency

Lethality Not at all serious 47.8% (n=55)

Needed first aid 41.7% (n=48)

Needed medical attention 2.6% (n=3)

Once 17.3% (n=20)

Twice 8.6% (n=10)

Three-Five 21.7% (n=25)

Five + 13% (n=15)

Students without and with NSSI historyVariables No NSSI NSSI p

General Mental Health 22.14 30.22 .00*

Stressful Life Events 27.34 34.54 .00*

Emotional Suppression 13.31 16.22 .00*

Cognitive Reappraisal 28.93 23.22 .00*Cognitive Reappraisal 28.93 23.22 .00*

Non-productive coping 48.04 61.28 .00*

Social Support - Family 22.58 17.13 .00*

Alcohol Use 1.67 3.94 .00*

Self-esteem 30.24 24.26 .00*

Rumination 86.16 105.6 .00*

Self-efficacy 30.24 27.51 .00*

Help Seeking 27.35 26.16 .74

Attachment 17.57 24.46 .00*

Optimism 20.89 16.09 .00*

* Denotes significance at p<.01

Students with and without NSSI history

Variables B Wald OR (95%CI)

General Mental Health 0.08 4.13* 1.08 (1-1.17)

Stressful Life Events 0.07 3.65 1.08 (0.99-1.17)Stressful Life Events

Emotional Suppression 0.01 0.12 1.01 (0.92-1.11)

Cognitive Reappraisal -0.11 10.28* 0.88 (0.82-0.95)

Non-productive coping 0.04 2.92 1.04 (0.99-1.1)

Social Support - Family -0.06 1.13 0.94 (0.84-1.05)

Alcohol Use 0.22 7.06* 1.24 (1.06-1.46)

Self-esteem -0.09 1.93 1.09 (0.79-1.04)

Rumination 0.002 0.01 1.002 (0.97-1.02)

Self-efficacy 0.05 1.42 1.05 (0.94-1.16)

0 (Never) = reference group; * p<.05

Student perspectives on what teachers can do to minimise self-injury

“Maybe do some research and learn more about the issue from the self-harmer's

perspective”

“Educate students on what help you can get” “Educate students on what help you can get”

“Teachers could be more aware of the situation”

“Nothing, I don't think it is the job of the school to get involved”

“Actually understand why they did it and not just go and tell their parents”

“Teachers should be able to offer help and notify parents”

“Provide guidance and support “

Thank YouResearch Team:Research Team:

Prof Graham Martin, OAM

Dr Penny Hasking

Sophie Aitken

Tori Andrews

Emily Berger

Lauren Friend