Characteristics of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Behaviors in a Clinical and Community Sample in Albanian Adolescents

Besmira Zenelaj, Valbona Alikaj

Abstract: Objective: This study aims to describe characteristics in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) behaviors in Albanian adolescentsin two different settings, community, and inpatient. Methods: The Brief Nonsucidal Self-injury Assessment Tool (BNSSI-AT) was administered to 328th- 9th grade students in a randomly selected public school in Tirana and to 28 patients hospitalized in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Pavilion at ?Mother Teresa? University Hospital Center during January-June 2018. Statistical analysis of the data was carried out using SPSS 21. Results: 15.9% adolescents in the community sample reported engaging in self-injury behaviors at least one time in their life.Females were more likely than males to self-injure. NSSI disclosure is low among both sexes.Cutting and scratching were the most common method used to self-harm. Conclusion: Excessive epidemiological studies should be made in order to get data related to the prevalence, incidence, and clinical characteristics of NSSI in various sociodemographic groups of adolescents.

Keywords: nonsuicidal, self-injury, adolescents, community sample, clinical sample, sociodemographic