Not to invalidate the article, but I thought I'd point out that the study was done in the UK. Sociological studies tend to vary, sometimes widely, between the US and the UK.

While I was never a self-harmer, I was definitely suicidal as a teenager, and have had suicidal tendencies throughout my whole life up until today. In my case I don't think I became goth for identity protection, especially since being goth or punk or alternative back in those days meant you were more likely to be harrassed or attacked, which I think is the opposite of protection. While I guess being goth reflected my depression, it didn't abate or help it after becoming goth, as the study suggests it did for self-harmers. I became goth because it was a part of my personality, and the music I liked, and an aesthetic compatible with discovering I was gay but also trying to reject being gay at the same time.

But it's an interesting article, thanks for the link!