Abstract
Abstract
Background
Self-harm is a relevant public health issue with complex patterns and serious implications for individual and collective health, with known trends and COVID-19 pandemic impact.
Methods
Retrospective analysis of 58,642 self-harm cases from EU-IDB Full Data Set (period 2008-2022) examined treatment outcomes, injury characteristics, demographic patterns, temporal trends, injury timing, mechanisms, and proximal risk factors. Proportions are shown with CI95%.
Results
Hospital admission was the primary outcome (51.8%; CI: 51.4-52.2) with 1.18% mortality rate (CI:1.10-1.28). From 2013 to 2022, the percentage of self-harm in non-teenagers showed a steadily decreasing trend, from 2.0% to 1.0%, whilst declined from 2013 (1.6%) to 2019 (0.8%), with a sharp increase through 2022 (1.1%), suggesting strong pandemic-related effects on adolescents. Poisoning was the prevalent injury type (65.1%; CI: 64.7-65.5). Females represented 60.6% (CI: 60.2-61.0) of cases. Medication overdose was the prevalent mechanism of injury (24.6%; CI: 24.3-25.0), followed by alcohol abuse (7.7%; CI:7.4-7.9), sharp objects like knives/razors (7.6%; CI: 7.4-7.8), and illicit drugs (3.1%; CI: 3.0-3.3). Age-stratified analysis showed medication use peaked in age 10-14 (30.4%; CI: 28.1-32.7), knife/razor in 15-24 (10.1%; CI: 9.6-10.5), drugs in 25-29 (4.9%; CI: 4.4-5.4) and alcohol in 55-69 (12.8%; CI:12.0-13.7). Analysis of injury timing revealed that 63.3% (CI: 62.6-63.9) of cases had medical attention within 2 hours from the injury event, with injuries peaking between 8-11 PM (19.7%: CI: 19.4-20.1). Psychological/psychiatric conditions (9.5%; CI: 9.2-9.7) and relationship conflicts (6.1%; CI: 5.9-6.3) were the most frequent proximal risk factors. Among cases with known history, 41.7% had previous self-harm (CI: 40.6-42.8).
Conclusions
This study reveals concerning post-pandemic increases in teenage self-harm. High hospitalization rates and the prevalence of poisoning highlight severity.
Key messages
• The study found a worrying increase in self-harm among adolescents (12-17 years) after the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Psychological/psychiatric conditions and relationship conflicts were the prevalent proximal risk factors and most of cases with a known history had previous episodes of self-harm.
Topic
Self-harm injury, adolescent mental health, injury prevention.
Background
Self-harm is a relevant public health issue with complex patterns and serious implications for individual and collective health, with known trends and COVID-19 pandemic impact.
Methods
Retrospective analysis of 58,642 self-harm cases from EU-IDB Full Data Set (period 2008-2022) examined treatment outcomes, injury characteristics, demographic patterns, temporal trends, injury timing, mechanisms, and proximal risk factors. Proportions are shown with CI95%.
Results
Hospital admission was the primary outcome (51.8%; CI: 51.4-52.2) with 1.18% mortality rate (CI:1.10-1.28). From 2013 to 2022, the percentage of self-harm in non-teenagers showed a steadily decreasing trend, from 2.0% to 1.0%, whilst declined from 2013 (1.6%) to 2019 (0.8%), with a sharp increase through 2022 (1.1%), suggesting strong pandemic-related effects on adolescents. Poisoning was the prevalent injury type (65.1%; CI: 64.7-65.5). Females represented 60.6% (CI: 60.2-61.0) of cases. Medication overdose was the prevalent mechanism of injury (24.6%; CI: 24.3-25.0), followed by alcohol abuse (7.7%; CI:7.4-7.9), sharp objects like knives/razors (7.6%; CI: 7.4-7.8), and illicit drugs (3.1%; CI: 3.0-3.3). Age-stratified analysis showed medication use peaked in age 10-14 (30.4%; CI: 28.1-32.7), knife/razor in 15-24 (10.1%; CI: 9.6-10.5), drugs in 25-29 (4.9%; CI: 4.4-5.4) and alcohol in 55-69 (12.8%; CI:12.0-13.7). Analysis of injury timing revealed that 63.3% (CI: 62.6-63.9) of cases had medical attention within 2 hours from the injury event, with injuries peaking between 8-11 PM (19.7%: CI: 19.4-20.1). Psychological/psychiatric conditions (9.5%; CI: 9.2-9.7) and relationship conflicts (6.1%; CI: 5.9-6.3) were the most frequent proximal risk factors. Among cases with known history, 41.7% had previous self-harm (CI: 40.6-42.8).
Conclusions
This study reveals concerning post-pandemic increases in teenage self-harm. High hospitalization rates and the prevalence of poisoning highlight severity.
Key messages
• The study found a worrying increase in self-harm among adolescents (12-17 years) after the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Psychological/psychiatric conditions and relationship conflicts were the prevalent proximal risk factors and most of cases with a known history had previous episodes of self-harm.
Topic
Self-harm injury, adolescent mental health, injury prevention.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 14 Nov 2025 |
| Event | 12th European Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion (EU-SAFETY 2025) - Heraklion, Greece Duration: 30 Sept 2025 → 2 Oct 2025 https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/issue/35/Supplement_5?trk=feed_main-feed-card_feed-article-content&login=false |
Conference
| Conference | 12th European Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion (EU-SAFETY 2025) |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | EU-SAFETY 2025 |
| Country/Territory | Greece |
| City | Heraklion |
| Period | 30/09/25 → 2/10/25 |
| Internet address |
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