Relationship between non-suicidal self-injury behavior and self-stigma in adolescents with mood disorder: the chained mediation role of self-esteem and social avoidance/distress
10.11886/scjsws20241127002
- VernacularTitle:青少年心境障碍患者非自杀性自伤行为与自我病耻感的关系:自尊、社交回避与苦恼的链式作用路径
- Author:
Tianmei TAO
1
;
Qiao JIANG
1
;
Jia LUO
2
Author Information
1. Wuhu Fourth People's Hospital , Wuhu 241000, China
2. The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100088, China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Adolescent;
Mood disorder;
Self-stigma;
Non-suicidal self-injury;
Chained mediation effect
- From:
Sichuan Mental Health
2025;38(4):333-339
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
BackgroundNon-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adolescents is a serious global public health issue. Self-stigma is identified as a key factor hindering adolescents from seeking professional psychological help, while only a few studies have dealt with the self-stigma in adolescents with mood disorder exhibiting NSSI behavior. ObjectiveTo investigate the influencing factors of self-stigma among adolescents with mood disorder who exhibit NSSI behavior, and to examine the chained mediation role of self-esteem and social avoidance/distress in the relationship between NSSI behavior and self-stigma, with the aim of providing references for the detection and intervention of self-stigma in such patients. MethodsA total of 220 consecutive adolescent patients with mood disorder who met "the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Edition"(ICD-10) diagnostic criteria for depressive disorder or depressive episode of bipolar disorder and attended the Fourth People's Hospital of Wuhu from November 2022 to November 2023 were recruited. The Adolescent Non-suicidal Self-injury Assessment Questionnaire (ANSAQ), Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) Scale, Self-Esteem Scale (SES), and Social Avoidance/Distress Scale (SADS) were employed to assess the participants. Correlation among variables was evaluated using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Multivariate linear regression analysis was utilized to identify the factors influencing self-stigma among adolescent patients with mood disorder exhibiting NSSI. The proposed mediating hypotheses were tested using Model 6 in the SPSS Process macro (version 3.0). ResultsValid responses were received from 204/220 (92.73%) participants, including 153 cases with NSSI and 51 cases without NSSI. The NSSI (vs. no NSSI) group reported significantly higher scores on ISMI and SADS (t=-5.187, -4.564, P<0.01), and lower scores on SES (t=4.478, P<0.01). In the NSSI group, the total score of ISMI demonstrated a positive correlation with the total score of SADS and the behavioral questionnaire score in ANSAQ (r=0.644, 0.316, P<0.01), and a negative correlation with the total score of SES (r=-0.724, P<0.01). Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that NSSI severity (β=0.132, P<0.05) and social avoidance/distress (β=0.309, P<0.01) were found to be positive predictors of the self-stigma, whereas self-esteem (β=-0.493, P<0.01) was a significant negative predictor of the self-stigma. Additionally, self-esteem and social avoidance/distress partially mediated the relationship between NSSI and self-stigma, with a mediating effect of 0.237 (95% CI: 0.103~0.374), which constituted 55.89% of the total effect. The mediating effect included two paths: NSSI behavior→self-esteem→self-stigma (effect size was 0.163, 95% CI: 0.069~0.273) and NSSI behavior→self-esteem→social avoidance/distress→self-stigma (effect size was 0.063, 95% CI: 0.020~0.119). ConclusionThe severity of NSSI can affect self-stigma in adolescents with mood disorders either directly through mediating self-esteem or indirectly through the chained mediation path of self-esteem and social avoidance/distress.[Funded by Scientific Research Projects of Wuhu Fourth People's Hospital in 2000(number,kjxm202203)]