THE IMPACT OF ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES ON SELF-HARM AND SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR IN CHILDHOOD

The aim: To collect scientific literature and conduct a review to determine whether adverse childhood experiences influence the onset of self-harm and suicidal behavior in childhood.Methods: A review of scientific publications was conducted in the PubMed database between January and February 2025 using the following keywords: self-harm, suicide, adverse childhood experiences, children, and adolescents. The selection of articles for the literature review was based on the following inclusion criteria: full-text availability for free in the database, publication in English, human studies, inclusion of children under 18 years old, and publications from the last five years (2020–2025). After applying these criteria, 95 publications were identified in the database. Based on titles and abstracts, 55 sources were selected, and after further examination, 22 articles relevant to the research topic were included in the literature review. A descriptive analysis was applied to examine the selected sources.Results: The reviewed literature indicates that adverse childhood experiences significantly increase the risk of self-harm and suicidal behaviour. Various types of ACEs, such as physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, neglect, parental loss, and social difficulties, are associated with a higher likelihood of self-harm and suicidal behaviour. Children who have experienced four or more ACEs are significantly more likely to engage in self-harm or have suicidal thoughts compared to their peers without such experiences. Although all ACEs increase the likelihood of self-harm and suicidal behaviour, positive childhood experiences may serve as protective factors that mitigate this risk.Conclusion: Adverse childhood experiences are significantly associated with an increased risk of both self-harm and suicidal behaviour. The greater the number of ACEs a child has experienced, the higher the likelihood of engaging in self-harming behaviours or suicidal actions. There is no adverse childhood experience that does not contribute to the risk of self-harm and suicidal behaviour. All ACEs increase this risk.