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Family Attributes, Family Functioning, and Positive Youth Development as Predictors of Adolescent Self-Harm: A Longitudinal Study in Hong Kong

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Student Well-Being in Chinese Adolescents in Hong Kong

Part of the book series: Quality of Life in Asia ((QLAS,volume 7))

Abstract

Utilizing four waves of longitudinal data (N = 3,328 at Wave 1), the present study examined the influence of family attributes (family intactness and economic disadvantage), family functioning, and positive youth development on self-harm and suicidal behavior of Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong. While 17.1–24.7 % of students had deliberately harmed themselves at least once, there were decreasing trends of deliberate self-harm behavior and suicidal signs over 4 years. For sociodemographic correlates, family intactness but not economic disadvantage was related to initial deliberate self-harm and suicidal behavior. Besides, suicidal behaviors in adolescents from non-intact families decreased faster than those from intact families. At Wave 4, family functioning and positive youth development negatively predicted deliberate self-harm behavior and suicidal behavior. While Wave 1 positive youth development predicted Wave 4 deliberate self-harm without controlling the initial level of deliberated self-harm, Wave 1 family functioning predicted Wave 4 suicidal signs even after controlling the initial level of suicidal signs.

This work and the Project PATHS are financially supported by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 11 Yuk Choi Road, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China

    Daniel T. L. Shek & Li Lin

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  1. Daniel T. L. Shek
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  2. Li Lin
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Correspondence to Daniel T. L. Shek .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, China

    Tak Yan Lee

  2. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hunghom, Hong Kong, China

    Daniel T.L. Shek

  3. The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China

    Rachel C. F. Sun

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Shek, D.T.L., Lin, L. (2015). Family Attributes, Family Functioning, and Positive Youth Development as Predictors of Adolescent Self-Harm: A Longitudinal Study in Hong Kong. In: Lee, T., Shek, D., Sun, R. (eds) Student Well-Being in Chinese Adolescents in Hong Kong. Quality of Life in Asia, vol 7. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-582-2_21

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