The Association Between Non-Suicidal Self-Injury of Adolescents and the COVID-19: The Lesson We Should Notice

Abstract

Background: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in psychiatric hospitalized adolescents keeps growing after the outbreak of COVID-19. This study aims to explore the relationship between the pandemic and the NSSI among adolescents, focusing on the underlying reasons. Methods: Through the retrospective analysis of medical record data retrieved from the electronic medical record system from January 2016 to March 2021, 609 medical records of adolescents were obtained. The main potential influencing factors were determined by the method of inductive content analysis. Results: Among the 609 adolescents, 420 subjects had NSSI, while 189 did not. We found the percentage of NSSI adolescents in 2016 was only 29.2% (7/24), reaching 34.5% (29/55) in 2017, 45.7% (42/92) in 2018, 61.3% (76/124) in 2019, 92.5% (196/212) in 2020, and 95.9% (70/73) in 2021. In the Binary logistic regression model, gender (OR=0.075), age (OR=1.215), single parent (OR=7.751) , experienced trauma (OR=2.214), social isolation (OR=8.313), body bully (OR=3.116), mobile phone overused (OR=4.199), committed suicide (OR=9.276), and before/after pandemic (OR=5.421) were significantly associated with NSSI. When comparing the differences in influencing factors between the pre-pandemic and the post-pandemic group, the results showed that experiencing trauma and suffering body bullying played less role in the appearance of NSSI, while the family constitution, relationship with parents, mobile phone use, and stressful learning have become the important factors. Conclusions: The pandemic has increased the risk of NSSI among adolescents and changed the influencing factors of this behavior. Tailored intervention gearing toward the changed risk factors should be formulated.

Psychosocial Factors Associated With Increased Adolescent Non-suicidal Self-Injury During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…In this study, we not only discovered a dramatic increase in adolescents with NSSI behaviours during the pandemic but also examined the structural changes in NSSI risk factors over time. The results showed that family constitution, relationship with their parents, mobile phone overuse, and stressful learning had significant association with NSSI behaviours during the pandemic, which were distinguished from those before the pandemic (49).…”