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. 2021 Oct:304:114152.
doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114152. Epub 2021 Aug 2.

Deliberate self-harm in adolescents during COVID-19: The roles of pandemic-related stress, emotion regulation difficulties, and social distancing

Christina L Robillard  1 , Brianna J Turner  2 , Megan E Ames  2 , Stephanie G Craig  3
Affiliations

Deliberate self-harm in adolescents during COVID-19: The roles of pandemic-related stress, emotion regulation difficulties, and social distancing

Christina L Robillard et al. Psychiatry Res. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to conduct an ecologically valid test of etiological models of deliberate self-harm (DSH) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a sample of Canadian adolescents, we investigated: (1) the association between COVID-19-related stress and DSH; (2) whether emotion regulation (ER) difficulties mediated/moderated this association, including whether these effects differed by age; and (3) whether the mediating/moderating effects of ER difficulties were stronger among socially distanced youth. Canadian adolescents (N = 809) aged 12-18 were recruited on social media and completed an online survey. COVID-19-related stress was associated with recent DSH. Nonacceptance of emotional responses and limited access to ER strategies fully mediated this association. The indirect effect through nonacceptance of emotional responses was stronger among more socially distanced youth, whereas the indirect effect through limited access to ER strategies was stronger among older and more socially distanced youth. COVID-19-related stress and ER difficulties did not interact to predict DSH, nor did age or social distancing moderate these interactions. These results align with etiological models proposing central roles for stress and ER difficulties in DSH. Furthermore, this study underscores a need to support adolescents, particularly older teens with reduced in-person interactions, in adaptively coping with pandemic-related stress.

Keywords: COVID-19; Emotion dysregulation; Pandemic; Physical distancing; Self-injury; Stress; Youth.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interests, real or perceived, to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Hypothesized Mediators and Moderators of the Association Between COVID-19-Related Stress and DSH.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Indirect Effects of COVID-19-Related Stress on DSH via ER Difficulties Note. Standardized coefficients and standard errors are reported; analyses adjusted for gender; *p < .05; **p < .01, ***p < .001.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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