Peer-reviewed article
The relationship between emotional reactivity and adolescent non-suicidal self-injury: the mediating role of distress tolerance and gender differences.
An Y, Song X, Ou J, Peng M ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how emotional reactivity leads to non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adolescents, focusing on whether distress tolerance explains this relationship. The research found that adolescents with high emotional reactivity had lower ability to tolerate distress, which increased their risk of self-injury. This pattern was particularly strong for girls but not boys. The findings suggest interventions should build distress-tolerance skills and be tailored for different genders.
Key points
- 3,640 adolescents (average age 18.3 years, 52% male) completed measures of emotional reactivity, distress tolerance, and self-injury behaviors
- Emotional reactivity was significantly associated with NSSI through reduced distress tolerance
- The indirect pathway from emotional reactivity to NSSI through distress tolerance was significant for females but not males
- Gender differences were significant for emotional intensity but not for emotional sensitivity or persistence
- Prevention programs should strengthen distress-tolerance skills with gender-sensitive approaches
Limitations
The study is cross-sectional and cannot establish causality or temporal order of the relationships. The countries where data were collected are not specified, limiting understanding of cultural and geographic context.
Abstract
Background Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a growing concern among adolescents, yet the emotional mechanisms underlying this behavior remain insufficiently understood. Emotional reactivity-including sensitivity, intensity, and persistence-may be associated with NSSI through its relationship with adolescents' capacity to tolerate emotional distress, and this indirect association may differ by gender. Methods A total of 3,640 adolescents (Mage = 18.27, SD = 1.45; 52.34% were male) completed measures of emotional reactivity, distress tolerance, and NSSI behaviors. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the mediating role of distress tolerance in the link between emotional reactivity and NSSI, and multi-group analyses were conducted to explore gender-related patterns. Results Emotional reactivity was significantly and positively associated with NSSI. Distress tolerance mediated the association between emotional reactivity and NSSI: higher emotional reactivity was associated with lower distress tolerance, which in turn was associated with higher levels of NSSI. Gender-stratified analyses showed that the indirect effects were significant among females but not males. Further examination of the dimensions of emotional reactivity revealed that gender differences were significant for emotional intensity but not for emotional sensitivity or emotional persistence. Conclusions These findings suggest that distress tolerance is a key psychological factor underlying the association between emotional reactivity and NSSI, with this association being particularly salient among female participants. Prevention and intervention programs should focus on strengthening distress-tolerance skills and providing gender-sensitive support to reduce NSSI risk among adolescents.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- No intervention was tested; this is an observational study examining mediating mechanisms
- Population
- 3,640 adolescents, mean age 18.27 years (SD 1.45), 52.34% male
Key finding
Emotional reactivity was significantly positively associated with NSSI
Y et al. · Europe PMC · 3 Sept 2026