Association between anxiety, self-harm, and substance use in adolescents
Keywords:
Anxiety, Health risk behaviors, Recreational drug use, Self-injurious behaviorAbstract
Anxiety disorders are the most common psychological disorders in adolescence and are associated with risk behaviors such as substance use and self-harm. This study aimed to investigate associations between anxiety symptoms, gender, alcohol and marijuana consumption, and self-harm behavior in 13-year-old adolescents, using the translated versions of the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children and the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale. The sample consisted of 298 adolescents (M = 13.4 years; SD = 0.3; 61.1% female). Data analysis included chi-square tests, Student’s t-test, and binomial logistic regression using the “ENTER” method (p < 0.05). Clinical anxiety (60.1%) was associated with self-harm (28.5%), which was more prevalent among girls. Alcohol use in the past month was higher among girls, while marijuana experimentation was more frequent among boys. These findings suggest that the girls in this sample should be considered a more vulnerable group for targeted interventions.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Juliana Maltoni, Rafael Corrêa, Margarida Gaspar de Matos, Carmem Beatriz Neufeld
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