Background: Studies suggest that risk of self-harm and depression is higher in offspring whose parents have a history of self-harm but research is based primarily on treatment receiving populations. Furthermore, little is known about parental self-harm which may be motivated by reasons other than suicide and to self-harm that occurred prior to parenthood. Offspring early life outcomes have also been under studies. In this community-based intergenerational cohort, parental (suicidal and non-suicidal) self-harm had been assessed prospectively during the preconception period from adolescence to young adulthood, with offspring emotional and behavioural outcomes tracked from pregnancy to middle childhood. Aim: To describe emotional and behavioural difficulties in children (eight years of age) whose parents have self-harmed before parenthood. Method: An intergenerational cohort study of parents (the Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study, VAHCS) and their offspring (the Victorian Intergenerational Health Cohort Study, VIHCS), Australia. Prior to parenthood, parents were assessed for self-harm seven times from age 15 years (1993) to 29 years. Offspring emotional and behavioural difficulties were assessed at age eight years (2015-2021). We compared children whose parents have a history of self-harm to their peers with no such history. Preliminary results: 398 offspring from 609 mothers and 267 offspring from 421 fathers were included in the analysis. 12.9% of mothers and 9.7% of fathers had a history of self-harm prior to conception. Overall, children whose parent had a history of self-harm were more likely to experience emotional and behavioural difficulties compared to children whose parents had not: SDQ total score (Cohen’s d=0.5, 95% CI 0.3, 0.9). Differences were observed for hyperactivity (d=0.6, 95% CI 0.4, 0.9), emotional symptoms (d=0.3, 95% CI 0.1, 0.5) and conduct problems (d=0.3, 95% CI 0.0, 0.5) but not for either prosocial behaviour or peer problems. Conclusions: Analysis is underway. Complete results will be available at the time of presentation and conclusions amended accordingly. Findings suggest that self-harm prior to parenthood may be an important marker of a population within which next generation offspring may be at heightened risk for emotional and behavioural difficulties. Findings point to the potential significance of maintaining an intergenerational perspective on the development of mental health difficulties in childhood. Further investigations into specific ways in which risk may be transmitted are warranted. These may or may not include self-harm.