Self-harm thoughts and behaviours (SHTBs) are a serious public health concern in young people. Emerging research suggests that pain may be an important correlate of SHTBs in young people. However, it remains unclear whether this association is driven by the shared association with other correlates of SHTBs. This study used network analysis to delineate the relationship between SHTBs, pain and other correlates of SHTBs in a population-based sample of young people.

We performed secondary analyses, using data from 7977 young people aged 5–16 years who participated in the British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey in 2004. We used χ2 tests and network analysis to examine the complex interplay between SHTBs, pain and other correlates of SHTBs, including psychiatric disorders, childhood trauma, stressful life events, parental distress, family dysfunction, peer problems and inhibitory control deficits.

Pain was associated with a doubled risk of SHTBs, and likewise, SHTBs were associated with a doubled risk of pain. Furthermore, network analysis showed that although pain was significantly associated with all measured correlates of SHTBs, except family dysfunction, pain was most strongly associated with SHTBs, after accounting for these measured correlates.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to utilise network analysis to provide novel insights into the complex relationship between SHTBs, pain and other known correlates of SHTBs in young people. Results suggest that pain is an independent correlate of SHTBs. Future research should aim to identify underlying mechanisms.

自我伤害的想法和行为 (SHTB) 是年轻人中一个严重的公共卫生问题。新兴研究表明，疼痛可能是年轻人 SHTB 的重要相关因素。然而，目前尚不清楚这种关联是否是由与 SHTB 的其他关联物的共享关联驱动的。本研究使用网络分析来描述基于人群的年轻人样本中 SHTB、疼痛和 SHTB 的其他相关因素之间的关系。

我们使用 2004 年参加英国儿童和青少年心理健康调查的 7977 名 5-16 岁年轻人的数据进行了二次分析。我们使用 χ2检验和网络分析来检查 SHTB、疼痛和其他相关因素之间复杂的相互作用SHTBs，包括精神疾病、童年创伤、压力性生活事件、父母痛苦、家庭功能障碍、同伴问题和抑制控制缺陷。

疼痛与 SHTB 的双倍风险相关，同样，SHTB 与疼痛的双倍风险相关。此外，网络分析表明，尽管疼痛与 SHTB 的所有测量相关因素显着相关（家庭功能障碍除外），但在考虑这些测量相关因素后，疼痛与 SHTB 的相关性最强。

据我们所知，这是第一项利用网络分析为年轻人 SHTB、疼痛和其他已知 SHTB 相关因素之间的复杂关系提供新见解的研究。结果表明疼痛是 SHTB 的独立相关因素。未来的研究应该旨在确定潜在的机制。