We aimed to determine the effect of coping self-efficacy on thoughts of self-harm among adolescents attending high school in Hanoi, Vietnam. Longitudinal data were collected using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Revised and the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale among 552 Year 10 students. The prevalence of thoughts of death and/or self-injury on at least 1 day in the past week was 16.9% at baseline and 14.5% at 8-month follow-up. When baseline coping self-efficacy was greater by one standard deviation, the odds of having thoughts of self-harm at follow-up were reduced by 42%. Our findings suggest that school-based programs that aim to strengthen coping strategies may be useful in preventing self-harm among adolescents.
Keywords: Adolescents; Vietnam; coping self-efficacy; self-harm; stress.