Personality characteristics, defense styles, borderline symptoms, and non-suicidal self-injury in first-episode major depressive disorder

Abstract

BackgroundNon-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is commonly seen in adolescents with depression and is a high-risk factor leading to suicide. The psychological mechanisms underlying depression with NSSI are still unclear. The purpose of this study was to explore the differences in personality traits, defensive styles, and borderline symptoms among first-episode youth patients with depression and self-injury compared with patients with depression without self-injury and healthy populations.MethodsThe current study recruited 188 participants, including 64 patients with depression and NSSI, 60 patients with depression without NSSI, and 64 healthy control subjects. Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, the Defense Style Questionnaire, the short version of the Borderline Symptom List, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Ottawa Self-Injury Inventory were used to assess all participants.ResultsPatients with depression and NSSI showed more psychoticism than patients with depression without NSSI and healthy control subjects. Patients with depression and NSSI presented more intermediate defense styles than healthy control subjects. In the patients with depression and NSSI group, the frequency of self-injury in the last week was negatively correlated with mature defense styles and positively correlated with depressive symptoms and borderline symptoms. Further regression analysis showed that EPQ-psychoticism and depressive symptoms were independent risk factors for NSSI in patients with depression.ConclusionThis study found that patients with depression and self-injury presented more neuroticism, introversion, EPQ-psychoticism, immature defenses, intermediate defenses, and borderline symptoms. Self-injury frequency was negatively correlated with mature defense styles and positively correlated with depressive symptoms and borderline symptoms. EPQ-Psychoticism and depressive symptoms are risk factors for predicting non-suicidal self-injury in patients with depression.

Immature defense mechanisms mediate the relationship between negative life events and depressive symptoms

“…Our finding suggested that patients with depression are more likely to use immature and intermediate defense mechanisms, and less likely to use mature defense mechanisms, which is consistent with the case–control study by Peng et al ( 45 ) conducted in populations with depression and non-suicidal self-injury. Accumulating literatures suggest that depressed patients mainly tend to use immature defense mechanisms ( 46 , 47 ).…”

Functions of nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior in Russian patients with suicidal ideation

“…The Psychoticism domain of the PID-5 includes traits such as Unusual Beliefs & Experiences, Eccentricity, and Perceptual Dysregulation (74). According to Peng et al, patients with depression and NSSI have significantly higher levels of psychoticism than healthy controls and patients with depression alone (73). In addition, regression analysis showed that psychoticism was an independent risk factor for NSSI in depressed patients.…”

Understanding Comorbidity Between Non-Suicidal Self-Injury and Depressive Symptoms in a Clinical Sample of Adolescents: A Network Analysis

“… 18 It has been reported that compared to simple depression, comorbidity will characterize more severe clinical phenotypes in adolescents, aggravate the psychological and disease burden of patients, and increase the risk of suicide. 19 Previous research on comorbidity of NSSI and depression in adolescents had focused on correlates, such as introversion, intermediate defenses, 20 youthfulness, and impulsivity, 21 but the specific symptoms underlying this correlation are still unclear.…”