Year: 2026 | Month: September | Volume: 16 | Issue: 9 | Pages: 108-119
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijhsr.20260913
Evaluation of Psychosocial Risk Factors for Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Adolescents: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study
Sivaprakash J.1, Mukkala Prajwala2, Sandhya Kadimpati3, N. Prasanna Kumar4, Mohan V. Sumedha Maturu5
1Postgraduate, Department of Psychiatry, Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam, India.
2Assistant Professor, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam, India.
3Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Andhra Medical College,
Visakhapatnam, India.
4Professor and Head, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam, India.
5Senior Consultant, Department of Neurology, Pinnacle Hospital, Visakhapatnam, India.
Corresponding Author: Dr. Mohan V. Sumedha Maturu
ABSTRACT
Background: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is an increasingly recognised public health concern among adolescents, yet data from the Indian subcontinent remain limited. As culture strongly shapes self-harm, locally grounded psychosocial information on adolescents who self-injure is valuable.
Aim: To evaluate psychosocial risk factors for NSSI in adolescents attending a tertiary psychiatric service.
Methods: Sixty adolescents aged 12-18 years with a DSM-5 psychiatric diagnosis and at least one NSSI episode in the preceding year were enrolled by purposive sampling. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected using a semi-structured proforma and the Functional Assessment of Self-Mutilation (FASM). Analyses used chi-square, Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests (p < 0.05).
Results: Mean age was 14.88 (SD 1.46) years; 53.3% were male, 61.7% rural and 58.3% of low socioeconomic status. Poor emotional regulation affected 81.7% and perceived social media influence 73.3%. Inconsistent discipline (68.3%), a tense emotional atmosphere (56.7%), diffuse boundaries (56.7%) and difficult temperament were each strongly associated with poor emotional regulation (p < 0.0001), and financial stressors affected 63.3%. On the FASM, automatic negative reinforcement was higher in girls (p < 0.001), whereas social negative reinforcement was higher in boys, linked to strained parental relationships (p = 0.030), difficult temperament (p = 0.001) and poor emotional regulation (p = 0.024).
Conclusion: Emotional dysregulation, adverse family functioning and interpersonal difficulties were central psychosocial correlates of NSSI. Early identification of at-risk youth and interventions targeting emotion regulation, family functioning and social support are important for prevention.
Key words: Non-suicidal self-injury; adolescents; psychosocial risk factors; emotional regulation; family functioning; Functional Assessment of Self-Mutilation.