Childhood Maltreatment and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury - the Impact of Emotion Regulation

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a common phenomenon in adolescence. Furthermore, it is often associated with maltreatment during childhood. One factor determining the relation between childhood maltreatment and NSSI is maladaptive emotion regulation strategies. The current study examines this relation in adolescent psychiatric inpatients (n = 97). Adolescents engaging in NSSI present maladaptive strategies in emotion regulation more frequently. In addition, they experienced maltreatment in childhood more often than inpatients not engaging in NSSI. Further, partial mediation was established among childhood emotional abuse and neglect, NSSI and maladaptive emotion regulation.