Self-harm risk may be elevated in women with early menarche onset

Pubertal timing is implicated in self-harm in females, such that older age at menarche is associated with a lower risk of self-harm both in adolescence and adulthood, a recent study suggests.

Researchers looked at 4,042 females from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). They assessed age at menarche between ages 8 and 17 years. Lifetime history of self-harm was self-reported at ages 16 and 21 years.

Of the patients, 25.3 percent reported having ever self-harmed at age 16 years. This number increased to 34.5 percent by the age of 21 years. The proportion of participants reporting self-harm at age 16 years was highest in those who experienced early menarche (31.8 percent) and lowest in those who experienced late menarche (19.4 percent).

Multivariable logistic regression showed that relative to normative timing, early menarche (<11.5 years) was associated with a significantly increased risk of self-harm at 16 years of age (odds ratio [OR], 1.31, 95 percent CI, 1.04–1.64; p=0.022), while later menarche (>13.8 years) showed a protective effect (OR, 0.74, 0.58–0.93; p=0.012).

The pattern of association was similar at age 21 years, although the risk estimates were not statistically significant (early menarche: OR, 1.22, 0.96–1.54; p=0.104; later menarche: OR, 0.88, 0.71–1.09; p=0.240).

The findings back the theory that early pubertal timing is a risk factor for mental health problems in adolescent and young adult females, according to the researchers. As such, early-developing females should be a focus of targeted mental health intervention.