Nonsuicidal self-injury in undergraduate students with major depressive disorder: The role of psychosocial factors

Abstract

Background: Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is related to childhood abuse, family relationships, interpersonal relationships, personality, but the interaction between them is still unclear, and how they interact in major depressive disorder (MDD).

Methods: Collected data from 444 undergraduate degree students with MDD participated. Used the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Interpersonal Relationship Comprehensive Diagnostic Scale, and Family Assessment Device to assess the patients' psychosocial factors. NSSI behavior was assessed through interviews. Use the Chi-square test, Wilcoxon rank-sum test, Kruskal-Wallis H-test, Distance Correlation, Structural Equation Mode for data analysis.

Results: Overall, 34.2% of patients with MDD had a history of NSSI. MDD patients with a history of NSSI had significant differences in psychoticism, neuroticism, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, troubles in conversation, ability to make friends and family roles. Among these factors, psychoticism was most related to NSSI, and child abuse, interpersonal relationships and family roles played a variety of roles in mediating the relationship with NSSI.

Conclusions: Psychosocial factors affect the occurrence of NSSI through chain intermediary effects.

Keywords: Child abuse; Family roles; Major depressive disorder; NSSI; Psychoticism.