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Childhood maltreatment and nonsuicidal self-injury among younger Chinese prisoners: the mediating role of self-esteem

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Abstract

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a global public health problem that particularly affects youth in prisons. Although there is a well-documented link between childhood maltreatment and NSSI, the underlying mechanisms connecting the two remain unclear. Based on Nock’s integrated theoretical model of NSSI, the current study examined the association between childhood maltreatment and NSSI among younger Chinese prisoners and whether self-esteem mediates this association. A cross-sectional convenience sample of 1,040 participants was recruited from two prisons in central China. A self-administered anonymous questionnaire including information on childhood maltreatment, self-esteem, NSSI and demographic characteristics was administered for each participant. Pearson’s correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation between two variables. Bootstrapping procedures were employed to assess the mediating effect. NSSI was positively correlated with childhood maltreatment and negatively associated with self-esteem. The relationship between childhood maltreatment and NSSI was mediated by self-esteem, with 33.4% of the total effect of childhood maltreatment being explained. The ratio was higher in males (62.5%) than in females (14.4%), and it was higher in prisoners under 24 years old (37.5%) than in those over 24 years old (27.9%). These observations emphasize the importance of combining environmental and intrapersonal factors when assessing NSSI among prisoners, thereby contributing to its prevention and intervention in prisons.

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Acknowledgements

Authors would like to profusely thank all individuals who supported and helped them to conduct this study.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number is 81573172).

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Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

Fajuan Rong and Chun Kang conceived and designed the study; Fajuan Rong, Chun Kang and Chang Peng acquired and prepared data for analysis; Fajuan Rong completed the analysis and first draft of this manuscript; Mengni Wang, Junhan Cheng and Hongli Ding were involved in revising the manuscript critically for important intellectual content; Yizhen Yu guided the overall design of the study. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yizhen Yu.

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Ethics approval and consent to participate

The study procedures were carried out in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. This study received ethical approval from the institutional review board of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Written informed consents explaining the study purposes, processes, benefits, and risks were obtained from each participant who was at least 18 years of age. If the participant was under 18 years of age, a written informed consent letter was obtained from one of the prisoner’s legal guardians.

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Rong, F., Kang, C., Peng, C. et al. Childhood maltreatment and nonsuicidal self-injury among younger Chinese prisoners: the mediating role of self-esteem. Curr Psychol 42, 25331–25344 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03647-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03647-1

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