Childhood maltreatment and non-suicidal self-injury among Chinese college students: The moderating roles of social phobia and perceived family economic status

Background: Non-suicidal self-injury is a heavy burden on affected college students with rippling effects throughout their lives. Childhood maltreatment is strongly associated with non-suicidal self-injury among college students. However, it remains unclear whether perceived family eco-nomic status and social phobia exert significant moderating effects on the relationship between childhood maltreatment and non-suicidal self-injury. Objective: This study aimed to identify the perceived family economic status and social phobia moderating the association between childhood maltreatment and non-suicidal self-injury. Participants and setting: This study used data (N = 5297) from two local medical colleges in Anhui province, China. Methods: Respondents completed questionnaires on childhood maltreatment, non-suicidal self-injury, social phobia and perceived family economic status online. Data were analyzed using Spearman's correlation followed by multiple moderation models. Results: The association between childhood maltreatment and non-suicidal self-injury was moderated by social phobia (beta = 0.03, p < 0.05) and perceived family economic status (beta =-0.30, p < 0.05). When considered together, both factors were found to play synergistic roles in the association between childhood maltreatment and non-suicidal self-injury in college students (beta = 0.08, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our findings highlight that experience of childhood maltreatment, elevated social phobia, and low perceived family economic status increase the risk of non-suicidal self-injury. Future researches are recommended to conduct interventions from a more holistic perspective and integrate perceived family economic status as a relevant factor along with social phobia in coping with non-suicidal self-injury in college students.