New York Teens With Mentally Struggling Parents at Higher Risk of Self-Harm

A new study found that teenagers who have parents that are dealing with mental health issues have a higher chance of self-harm. This includes cutting or burning themselves and this is some pretty scary stuff.

Researchers wanted to find out how parenting stress and self-injury among teens were connected. They found out that if the teens' parents were stressed out when the child was around six years old, the risk of them harming themselves went up almost five times. If teenagers felt hostility and negativity from their parents at that age, the risk nearly doubled. Yikes!

The researchers also found out that when parents are stressed, it can effect their children's development in negative ways. This can lead to behavior problems and, in some cases can increase the chance of injuring themselves.

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So why would teen want to self-harm themselves?  Well, according to the researchers, it's a way for them to deal with their  sadness, anger, or stress. It's not usually a suicide attempt, but more of a way to find some peace and release tension.

The researchers that were involved in this study used information that they got when the kids were six years old, from the parents, the teachers, and the kids themselves. They also found that even low levels of stress and negativity in parents had an impact on their kids.

The researchers would like for the parent to reduce stress in their lives and try to be less negative towards their children. It's about breaking that cycle and making a healthier environment for everyone.