The relationship between major life events and non-suicidal self-injury among college students: the effect of rumination and body image

Qian Qin; Guangni Yang; Yue Li; Wanchun Wu; Jianping Wang; Ziyao Chen; Xiaohua Kong; Wei Zhang; Hongyu Zou

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1308186

The relationship between major life events and non-suicidal self-injury among college students: the effect of rumination and body image

Front Public Health. 2024 Jan 17:11:1308186. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1308186. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Qian Qin^{1

2}, Guangni Yang^{1

3}, Yue Li⁴, Wanchun Wu¹, Jianping Wang^{4

5}, Ziyao Chen¹, Xiaohua Kong¹, Wei Zhang¹, Hongyu Zou¹

Affiliations

¹ Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.
² School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.
³ Department of Psychology, Lingnan University, Hong Kong, China.
⁴ College of Teacher Education, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.
⁵ Journal of South China Normal University, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.

Abstract

Background: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) poses a growing risk to public health worldwide. While numerous studies have identified major life events as key risk factors for NSSI, the mechanisms by which emotional and cognitive problems mediate or moderate this relationship remain unclear. To enhance the understanding of this field, we will draw upon the cascade theory of self-injury and the benefits and barriers model, to examine the relationship between major life events and NSSI, as well as the effect of rumination and body image.

Methods: A sample of 2,717 college students (M_age = 19.81 years; SD = 1.09) participated in this study and anonymously completed the questionnaires. The moderated mediation model were conducted using Model 4 and Model 15 of the Process macro program in SPSS.

Results: The results showed that rumination mediated the positive relationship between major life events and NSSI. Furthermore, body image was found to moderate both the relationship between major life events and NSSI, as well as the relationship between rumination and NSSI.

Conclusion: The current findings suggest that rumination is an important mediator in the relationship between major life events and NSSI among college students. Teachers, parents, and researchers should recognize the important role of body image self-perceptions of college students and actively promote a healthy and accurate body image.

Keywords: NSSI; body image; college students; major life events; rumination.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Body Image*
Emotions
Humans
Self Concept
Self-Injurious Behavior* / etiology
Self-Injurious Behavior* / psychology
Students / psychology
Young Adult

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 32271115).