Peer-friendship Networks and Self-harm among Adolescents from Inner-city Schools: A Social Network Study.
Crudgington H., Blakey R., Copeland M., Gayer-Anderson C., Davis S., Lowis K., Putzgruber E., Richards T-S., Kitisu J., Hashi A., Clement-Gbede KS., Tettey N., Stanyon D., Turner A., Dorn L., Harding S., Bhui K., Pinfold V., Knowles G., Morgan C.
Peer-relationships are critically important for adolescent behavior, but how peer-friendship network composition and structure influence adolescent self-harm is less clear. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the association between in-school peer-friendship networks, gender, and self-harm among inner-city adolescents. Participants were 2203 adolescents (mean age = 12.5 years, SD = 1.0; 53% girls) attending inner-city south London schools. Each adolescent nominated friends within their school year to construct sociometric peer-friendship networks and reported on lifetime self-harm. Mixed-effects logistic regression was used to estimate the effects of a comprehensive array of peer-network metrics on self-harm in the sample overall and by gender. Having friends who report self-harm, network over-integration (bridging, popularity), and social isolation (network under-integration) increased odds of self-harm, while sociality and high friendship group density reduced odds. Odds ratios did not vary by gender. The findings indicate that peer-network composition, particularly if friends self-harm, and over- and under-integration in wider peer-networks, may influence early adolescent self-harm, among both boys and girls.