Self-injurious behavior among adolescents: prevalence and the role of cyberbullying
Farkas Bernadett Frida
Mental Health Sciences Division
Dr. Bódizs Róbert
SE NET Zöld előadóterem
2026-11-04 10:00:00
Psychiatry
Dr. Réthelyi János
Dr. Balázs Judit Ágnes
Dr. Farkas Kinga
Dr. Kiss Enikő
Dr. Pethesné Dávid Beáta
Dr. Papp Szilvia
Dr. Németh Barbara
In summary, I would like to highlight the key findings of my PhD research, present the novel contributions of the work and summarize the clinical implications.
To the best of our knowledge, the first study of my doctoral work is the most recent meta-analysis focusing on the prevalence and cultural differences of SIB in adolescents. SIB has a notably high prevalence among non-clinical adolescent populations worldwide. One of the key findings was that Asian male adolescents have a particularly high risk for engaging in SIB. This highlights that further research should focus on the transcultural differences in both risk and preventive factors associated with SIB among adolescents.
The second study of my doctoral work highlights the high prevalence of CB and NSSI among adolescents, and that anxiety plays an important moderating role in the relationship between the two phenomena. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that adolescents who witness CB – without necessarily being direct victims – also face a heightened risk of NSSI. These findings underscore the need for further research to focus on the risk and protective factors among CB witnesses cyberbullying, a group that has received limited attention to date.
The results of my doctoral work draw the attention of decision makers and healthcare professionals to the importance of school-based prevention programmes and in particular the high prevalence of NSSI and CB during adolescence. Adolescents are frequently exposed to stressful events, but if they have access to professional support and intervention, the likelihood of developing more severe psychiatric problems later in life could be significantly reduced.
Finally, I would like to draw clinicians’ attention to the high prevalence of CB among adolescents, which is associated with significant anxiety and depressive symptoms and, consequently, an increased risk of NSSI. Given the strong link between NSSI and suicidal behaviour, adolescents who engage in NSSI should receive interventions as soon as possible to reduce suicide risk. Approximately one in six adolescents worldwide report a history of self-harm. Given the high prevalence of self-harm, interventions that enhance adolescents’ emotional regulation should be implemented at the onset of puberty, when self-harm most commonly begins.
