Analysis of characteristics of non-suicidal self-injury in 120 adolescents

Abstract

ObjectiveTo explore the characteristics of adolescent non-suicidal self-injury （NSSI） behavior， and to enable clinicians to further understand adolescents with NSSI behavior， so as to make better clinical diagnosis and intervention.MethodsFrom July 2022 to June 2023， 120 adolescent patients with NSSI behavior were selected from the outpatient department of our hospital by convenience sampling， and the general demographic data were collected by self-made general situation questionnaire. The characteristics and motivation of NSSI among adolescents with NSSI were analyzed by using the NSSI questionnaire and Ottawa self-injury inventory （OSI）.ResultsThe average age of the first NSSI in the adolescents was 12.90±1.233， and the most common was 13 years old. The most common site of NSSI was the lower arm or wrist （58.33%）， followed by the hand （27.5%）. The most commonly used NSSI was "intentionally cutting oneself" （68.33%）； The most common motivation for NSSI is emotional regulation.ConclusionThere are significant differences in gender among adolescents with NSSI behavior. The age of first NSSI is concentrated， and the highest incidence is in the 11‒14 years old. The common way of self-injury is cutting. NSSI is usually associated with the intention to relieve suffering and is characterized by high frequency， using variety of methods， and low mortality. Adolescents with NSSI often choose to implement NSSI with emotion regulation as the main function， including external emotion regulation and internal emotion regulation.

Keywords

• adolescent
• non-suicidal self-injury
• behavior characteristics
• motivational expression