Prospective examination of self-harm up to three years after contact with Child Protective Services (CPS)

We examined the prevalence and correlates of self-harm among adolescents in the three years following an investigation by U.S. Child Protective Services (CPS) into alleged child maltreatment. Participants (N = 1573, 47% Male, 45% White) were drawn from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, cohort II. Self-harm was assessed at the conclusion of the CPS investigation, and at 18- and 36-months follow-up. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression were used to assess differences in self-harm over time by demographic characteristics, maltreatment type, and out-of-home placement. The prevalence of self-harm among older adolescents (15-17 years) remained stable at ∼10%, while among younger adolescents (11-14 years), it declined from 13% to 3.5%. Approximately 4.5% of youth reported self-harm at multiple survey waves. Native American and Asian/Pacific Islander youth were five times more likely to report repeated self-harm. Further research is warranted to understand this heightened risk.