Objectives. To compare the motivations of non-suicidal self-injury behavior (NSSB) in relation to nosological form, sex, and age group. Material and methods. A total of 91 patients (80 females and 11 males) aged 13–24 years were selected, who independently attended the St. Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University Consulting Center, where they underwent clinical assessment and completed the “Statements about Self-Injury” questionnaire (the Russian-language adapted version of the “Inventory of Statements about Self-Injury”). The younger subgroup consisted of 54 patients under the age of 18 years and the older subgroup consisted of 37 patients aged 18 years and above. Patients with schizophrenia, organic mental disorders, etc. were excluded at the preliminary stage. Three clinical groups were identified on the basis of clinical and psychopathological assessment. Group 1 consisted of patients with various subtypes of pubertal behavioral disorders within the F91 rubric (under 18 years of age) and patients with emotionally unstable personality disorder (F60.3). Group 2 experienced mild or moderate depressive episodes (F32). Group 3 included patients with various eating disorders. Results. The study groups did not differ in terms of age at assessment, age of onset of NSSB, or duration of NSSB. There were also no differences in the leading types of self-injury depending on gender, age subgroup, or clinical diagnosis, which confirms the current view of NSSB as a transnosological phenomenon. There were also no differences in motivation to NSSB in relation to nosological form. Sex and age differences in self-injury motivation were found. In male patients, the motivations of “search for new sensations” (p = 0.037) and “peer bonding” (p = 0.036) showed significant predominance. In the younger age subgroup, the “self-punishment” (p = 0.032) and “peer bonding” (p = 0.026) motivations prevailed. Conclusions. The nosological non-specificity of NSSB found here, which is apparent as similarity in age of onset, duration, types of self-injury, and motivations for self-injury in different disorders, indicates that this phenomenon can be regarded as a separate dimensional characteristic of mental disorders, which is more dependent on internal patterns and sex and age characteristics than on its nosological affiliation.
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Translated from Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S. S. Korsakova, Vol. 122, No. 12, pp. 105–110, December, 2022.
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Khutoryanskaya, Y., Pozdnyak, V.V. & Grechanyy, S.V. Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Behavior in Adolescents. Neurosci Behav Physi 53, 973–978 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-023-01490-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-023-01490-w