Brief family intervention strategy in Mexican adolescents with self-harm in primary health

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a family intervention on self-harming behaviors and family functioning in adolescents from a secondary school in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico.

Materials and methods: A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest single-group study, nested within an initial cross-sectional diagnostic phase, was conducted between May 2024 and June 2025 at Comprehensive Educational Center No. 1 in Villahermosa, Tabasco. A probabilistic sample of 200 adolescents aged 12 to 15 years participated. The Self-Harm Questionnaire (SHQ) and the FF-SIL were administered after obtaining informed consent. Of the 39 adolescents identified with self-harm, 28 participated with their families in six group intervention sessions with a systemic approach and cognitive-behavioral techniques. Analysis included descriptive statistics, Pearson's chi-squared test, and Student's t-test (p≤0.05).

Results: The prevalence of self-harm was 19.5% and that of family dysfunction was 24.5%, with a significant association between them (χ²=22.556; p<0.001). After the intervention, family functioning improved from 39.32 to 52.71 points (t=6.863; p<0.001), and self-harming behaviors decreased from 2.64 to 1.36 points on the SHQ (t=-10.329; p<0.001).

Conclusions: There is a significant relationship between self-harm and family dysfunction in adolescents. A brief family intervention, implemented in the school setting with a systemic approach, improves family functioning and reduces self-harming behaviors. This strategy represents a viable, low-cost alternative for primary care and school health services.

Keywords: Self-harm; Adolescents; Family relationships; Health services; Innovation in management.