Chronicity of self-harming behaviors among adolescent teenage girls living in refugee settlements in Northern Uganda

TL;DR

This study explores the factors linked to chronic self-harming thoughts in teenage girls in refugee settlements in Northern Uganda.

Contribution

The study identifies pregnancy history and family structure as novel factors influencing chronic self-harm ideations in this population.

Findings

Pregnancy history increases the likelihood of chronic self-harming ideations.

Having a spouse as the family head reduces the likelihood of chronic self-harm thoughts.

The prevalence of self-harming ideations varies among the participants, with 4.2% acute, 8% subacute, and 3.1% chronic cases.

Abstract

Self-harming ideations demand targeted research due to their persistent nature, especially among female adolescents within refugee populations who face unique challenges that can exacerbate self-harming tendencies. This study aimed to assess the factors associated with self-harming ideations chronicity among female teenagers living in refugee settlement in Northern Uganda.

This cross-sectional study used a pretested questionnaire to assess self-harming ideations and other demographic characteristics. Ordinal logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with chronicity of self-harm ideations.

Of 385 participants, the prevalence of self-harming ideations was 4.2% (n = 16) for acute, 8% (n = 31) for subacute, and 3.1% (n = 12) for chronic. The likelihood of having more chronic self-harming ideations increased with having ever been pregnant (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 3.78, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 1.57–9.08). However, having a spouse as the family head reduced the likelihood of having more chronic self-harming ideations (aOR = 0.19, 95% CI = 0.04–0.95).

The persistence of self-harming thoughts among female teenagers in Northern Ugandan refugee settlements varies. Pregnancy history is associated with a higher chance of prolonged self-harming thoughts while having a spouse as the family’s head is linked with a lower likelihood. Examining different demographic and familial elements when addressing the mental well-being of female teenage refugees is vital. It stresses the necessity for customized interventions and support networks targeting the reduction of self-harm behaviors among this vulnerable group.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40359-024-01897-1.