Dimensions of family stress and repetitive nonsuicidal self-injury in adolescence: Examining the interactive effects of impulsivity and emotion dysregulation

Abstract

Background: Repetitive non-suicidal self-injury (R-NSSI) in adolescence represents a significant risk factor for suicide. Although exposure to family stress is robustly associated with the risk of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), studies have not examined the potential mechanisms linking different forms of family stress and R-NSSI.

Objective: This study examined how unique dimensions of family stress (threat and deprivation) relate to R-NSSI via interactions between impulsivity and emotion dysregulation.

Participants and setting: The current sample included 3801 middle-school adolescents (42.2 % girls, M_age = 13.21 years).

Methods: We conducted a two-wave study with 6-month intervals. Participants completed self-report measures assessing family stress, impulsivity, emotion dysregulation, and NSSI.

Results: Moderate mediation analyses showed that threat was indirectly associated with NSSI frequency through the interaction of impulsivity and emotion dysregulation in the R-NSSI group and indirectly through impulsivity in the occasional NSSI (O-NSSI) group. Deprivation did not predict subsequent NSSI frequency in either group.

Conclusions: These findings lend empirical support to dimensional models of adversity and suggest that adolescents who experience threat-related family stress may have greater impulsivity and are more likely to report R-NSSI in the context of emotion dysregulation.

Keywords: Deprivation; Emotion dysregulation; Impulsivity; Repetitive nonsuicidal self-injury; Threat.