Self-harm, dentofacial features, and bullying.

Self-harm is a growing public health problem. The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of self-harm among a representative sample of school children and the contribution of dentofacial appearance and being bullied because of dentofacial appearance to self-harm. This was a cross-sectional study in which a representative sample of eighth-grade students (aged 13-14 years) from randomly selected schools was asked to complete anonymous questionnaires distributed in the classroom. The final sample size was 699 children (339 girls, 360 boys) with a mean age of 13.3 years, representing 1.26% of the target population. The prevalence of self-harm was 26.9% (n = 188), with no statistically significant gender differences (P >0.05). Among all the subjects who reported self-harm, 47.9% (n = 90) reported self-harm because of dentofacial features. A total of 41 subjects reported self-harm because of bullying targeted at dentofacial features, representing around one fifth of subjects who reported self-harm. The 3 most common dentofacial features contributing to self-harm and self-harm as a result of bullying were tooth color and shape, spacing between the teeth or missing teeth, and prominent maxillary anterior teeth. This study demonstrated a relatively high experience of self-harm reported by adolescent school children, with many reporting self-harm as a result of their dentofacial appearance and bullying because of dentofacial features. The present study provides baseline data to better understand the relationship between self-harm and dentofacial features. Copyright © 2022 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Citation

Zaid B Al-Bitar, Hawazen N Sonbol, Iyad K Al-Omari, Serene A Badran, Farhad B Naini, Mahmoud K Al-Omiri, Ahmad M Hamdan. Self-harm, dentofacial features, and bullying. American journal of orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics : official publication of the American Association of Orthodontists, its constituent societies, and the American Board of Orthodontics. 2022 Jul;162(1):80-92

Mesh Tags

PMID: 35346538

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