and self harm was maintained when environmental risks within the family were taken into account. Although we examined both mothers’ and children’s reports of bullying, we had access only to mothers’ reports about the children’s self harm, which may have resulted in under-detection of this behaviour. Similarly, only mothers reported on children’s exposure to maltreatment, which may also have led to under-reporting of this confounding variable.58 As the cohort grows older, we will be able to interview the children about self harm and past exposure to maltreatment.
