Childhood trauma and non-suicidal self-injury behavior among hospitalized adolescents： the mediating role of emotional dysregulation and the moderating role of social anxiety
10.11886/scjsws20260228001
- VernacularTitle:童年创伤与住院青少年非自杀性自伤行为：情绪失调的中介作用及社交焦虑的调节作用
- Author:
Qiuling HUANG
1
;
Hanqin DING
1
;
Cailan HOU
1
;
Wanqi OU
1
;
Shibin WANG
2
;
Huiping LI
1
Author Information
1. Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital/Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences， Southern Medical University， Guangdong Mental Health Center， Guangzhou 510120， China
2. School of Public Health， Southern Medical University，Guangzhou 510515， China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Childhood trauma;
Non-suicidal self-injury;
Emotional dysregulation;
Social anxiety
- From:
Sichuan Mental Health
2026;39(3):220-226
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
BackgroundNon-suicidal self-injury （NSSI） behavior has become a global public health concern affecting the physical and mental health of adolescents. The experiential avoidance model posits that childhood trauma contributes to NSSI behavior through the mediating pathway of emotional dysregulation. However， existing research has predominantly focused on isolated psychological or social factors， with limited attention to their interactive effects of emotional dysregulation and social anxiety， both of which fall within the psychosocial domain. ObjectiveTo examine the relationship between childhood trauma and NSSI among adolescents， and to analyze the mediating role of emotional dysregulation and the moderating role of social anxiety， so as to provide evidence for targeted interventions for NSSI behavior of adolescents. MethodsA total of 282 adolescent inpatients who consecutively admitted to the Department of Psychiatry of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital from March to December 2025 and met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders，fifth edition（DSM-5）criteria for NSSI were enrolled as study participants. Participants were assessed using the general information questionnaire， the Adolescent Self-Harm Questionnaire， the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire （CTQ）， the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale （DERS）， and the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents （SAS-A）. Pearson correlation analysis was used to examine correlations among scale scores. model 4 and model 58 of the Process 4.1 were used to test the mediating effect of emotional dysregulation and the moderating effect of social anxiety， respectively. ResultsCTQ score was positively associated with score of the Adolescent Self-Injury Questionnaire （r=0.279， P<0.01）. Emotional dysregulation significantly partially mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and NSSI behavior， with a mediating effect of 0.112 （95% CI： 0.043–0.208）， accounting for 40.14% of the total effect. Social anxiety moderated the association between childhood trauma and emotional dysregulation，the effect value was 0.102 （95% CI： 0.008–0.196）， as well as the relationship between emotional dysregulation and NSSI behavior， the effect value was 0.130 （95% CI： 0.033–0.226）. ConclusionEmotional dysregulation may mediate the relationship between childhood trauma and NSSI behavior among hospitalized adolescents， while social anxiety moderates both the first and second paths of this mediating process. ［Funded by Guangdong Medical Science and Technology Research Fund Project （number， A2022538）］
