Peer-reviewed article
The relationship between nonsuicidal self-injury, suicidal behaviour and life events among adolescents
Horváth L, Győri D, Komáromy D, Mészáros G, Szentivanyi D et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), suicidal behavior, and life events among adolescents aged 13-18 in both clinical and school settings. Researchers compared 202 clinical patients with 161 non-clinical students from high schools and vocational schools. The study found that NSSI, suicidal behavior, and exposure to stressful life events were all significantly more common in the clinical group, and that NSSI was strongly linked to suicidal behavior especially in clinical settings. Interpersonal events (like relationship conflicts or losses) were particularly important in predicting suicidal behavior.
Key points
- Suicidal behavior, NSSI, and life events were significantly higher in the clinical group compared to non-clinical adolescents
- The relationship between NSSI and suicidal behavior was stronger in the clinical group (95% CI: [.56,.72]) than in the non-clinical group (95% CI: [.24,.52])
- The combination of NSSI and life events together was associated with suicidal behavior
- Interpersonal life events had a moderating effect on the relationship between NSSI and suicidal behavior
- Vocational school students are underrepresented in NSSI research despite being exposed to higher levels of stressful life events
Limitations
The document does not specify the country or countries where the study was conducted, and does not provide information about whether the findings apply to other age groups, cultural contexts, or how the results might inform prevention interventions.
Abstract
Introduction Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is highly prevalent in clinical and non-clinical adolescent populations. Non-clinical studies focus on high school students thus vocational school students are underrepresented in research and prevention programs, despite being exposed to higher levels of stressful life events, a factor associated with NSSI and suicide. Objectives This study aimed to explore NSSI, suicidal behavior and life events among adolescents in clinical and non-clinical, i.e. both high school and vocational school settings. Methods A clinical (n=202) and non-clinical (n=161) sample of 13-18-year-old adolescents were assessed with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview Kid, the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory, and the Life Events List. Data were analyzed with R version 3.6.1., using Wilcoxon tests and negative binomial regression models. Results The prevalence of suicidal behavior (W=7.306, p<.001), NSSI (W=9.652, p<.001), and life events (W=10.410 p<.001) were significantly higher in the clinical than in the non-clinical group. The relationship between NSSI and suicidal behaviour was significantly stronger in the clinical group (95% CI: [.56,.72]) than in the nonclinical group (95% CI: [.24,.52]). The interaction between NSSI and life events (Χ2(1)=10.49, p<.01) was associated with suicidal behavior. Interpersonal events were associated with both suicidal behavior and had a moderating effect on the NSSI–suicidal behavior relationship. Conclusions NSSI is highly prevalent and is strongly associated with suicidal behavior in clinical and non-clinical adolescent populations. Our result call attention to the necessity of including adolescents from various educational settings in NSSI research and prevention projects during which life events, especially interpersonal events, might require special attention. Disclosure No significant relationships.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- This is an observational study examining the relationships between NSSI, suicidal behavior, and life events; it does not describe the evaluation of a preventive or clinical intervention
- Population
- Adolescents aged 13-18 years in clinical (n=202) and non-clinical settings including high school and vocational school students (n=161)
Key finding
Prevalence of suicidal behavior significantly higher in clinical group (p<.001)
L et al. · PubMed Central (PMC) · 1 Sept 2022