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. 2023 May 26:37:100794.
doi: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2023.100794. eCollection 2023 Aug.

Non-suicidal self-injury in Chinese population: a scoping review of prevalence, method, risk factors and preventive interventions

Diyang Qu  1   2 , Xue Wen  1   2 , Bowen Liu  1   2 , Xuan Zhang  1 , Yuhao He  1 , Dongyang Chen  1   2 , Xueer Duan  1 , Jiaao Yu  1 , Dongyu Liu  1   2 , Xiaoqian Zhang  3 , Jianjun Ou  4 , Jiansong Zhou  4 , Zaixu Cui  5 , Jing An  6   7   8 , Yuanyuan Wang  9 , Xinyu Zhou  10 , Tifei Yuan  11 , Jie Tang  12 , Weihua Yue  5   13   14   15 , Runsen Chen  1   2
Affiliations

Non-suicidal self-injury in Chinese population: a scoping review of prevalence, method, risk factors and preventive interventions

Diyang Qu et al. Lancet Reg Health West Pac. .

Abstract

Non-suicidal self-injury behavior (NSSI) is a serious public health concern that requires immediate attention. Despite the high prevalence of NSSI among the Chinese population, there is a significant gap in research on the comprehensive picture of this field. Therefore, a scoping review was conducted to investigate the prevalence, methods, risk factors, and preventive intervention programs related to NSSI in China. The review found that the estimated lifetime prevalence of NSSI among Chinese youth population is alarmingly high at 24.7% (N = 1,088,433). Common methods of NSSI include scratching, hitting, and biting. Additionally, the review synthesized 249 risk factors based on the biopsychosocial-ecological framework, highlighting the urgent need for intervention. However, only 12 empirical studies focus on NSSI prevention or intervention programs were included. These findings underscore the necessity for more clinical practices and larger studies to identify effective interventions and ultimately alleviate the burden of NSSI on the Chinese population.

Funding: This review was supported by Humanity and Social Science Youth foundation of Ministry of Education (22YJCZH018), Science and Technology Innovation 2030 (STI2030-Major Projects:2021ZD0200702), National Natural Science Foundation of China (81825009), and Shuimu Tsinghua Scholar. No funding agencies were involved in the data collection, data analysis, and writing of this paper.

Keywords: China; Intervention; Method; Non-suicidal self-injury; Prevalence; Prevention; Risk factor.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interests associated with this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA flowchart of studies identified for inclusion in scoping review about NSSI prevalence and method in China.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Annual number of articles included in the analysis published from 2007 to 2022.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Provincial distribution of 228 papers included in the analysis based on the location where the study was conducted.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
PRISMA flowchart of studies identified for inclusion in scoping review about the risk factors of NSSI.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
The risk factors of NSSI from biopsychosocial-ecological framework.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
PRISMA flowchart of studies identified for inclusion in scoping review about the prevention and intervention programs targeting NSSI in China.
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
The number of publications that report the prevention and intervention programs targeting NSSI in China.
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