Correlates of informant discrepancies in self-harm among youth involved in child protective services

Jill A. Rabinowitz, Geoffrey D. Kahn, Julia W. Felton, Deborah A. G. Drabick and Holly C. Wilcox

Children and Youth Services Review, 2023, vol. 155, issue C

Abstract: Youth involved with child protective services (CPS) are at elevated risk for engaging in self-harm. Participation in interventions or treatments that may reduce youths’ self-harm behaviors often depends on the accurate reporting of their self-injurious behaviors. However, informants often disagree on the presence or severity of self-harm engagement, making the identification of youth in need of treatment more challenging. The current study aims to characterize discrepancies between youth and caregiver reports of children’s self-harm among a sample of youth with a history of CPS involvement, and to identify factors (e.g., demographics, youth and caregiver psychological impairments, aspects of the caregiving environment) associated with these discrepancies. Participants (N = 258) were drawn from a large, nationally representative sample of youth under the age of 18 (mean age = 13.8) and their caregivers who were investigated by CPS. Multinomial logistic regressions were used to examine correlates of discrepancies in caregiver and youth reports of youth self-harm. Results indicated that 10% of caregiver-child dyads agreed on children’s engagement in self-harm. In 33% of cases, only the child reported self-harm and in 57% of cases, only the caregiver reported youth self-harm. Being a biological caregiver, child female sex, higher levels of internalizing symptoms, greater post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and greater caregiver alcohol use was associated with a lower likelihood of caregivers reporting self-harm only. Older child age, lower externalizing symptoms, higher PTSD symptoms, and greater levels of caregiver emotional security and structure were linked to lower odds of children reporting self-harm only. These results underscore important factors to consider when assessing self-harm among youth involved with CPS and have potential implications for practice guidelines in this population.

Keywords: Self-harm; Informant discrepancies; Children; Adolescents; Child protective services (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:155:y:2023:i:c:s0190740923003961

DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107200

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