Witnessing or hearing about others engaging in self harm is also likely to increase the probability that children will use this behaviour.42 We found that bullied children who had a family member who had attempted or completed suicide were more likely to self harm, suggesting that such self destructive coping strategies may be learnt from close others. Familial transmission via impulsive aggression is also likely among these children.43 As self harm can be used to help to regulate emotions,44 children who experience emotions very intensely or are affectively dysregulated may be more likely to use this coping strategy after bullying victimisation. This hypothesis is borne out in our sample, where we found that bullied children with concurrent psychological difficulties, many of which involve extreme emotions or difficulties in regulation of affect,45 46 47 48 were at greater risk of self harm.
