Abstract
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is an emerging health problem among adolescents. Although previous studies have shown that deviant peer affiliation is an important risk factor for this behavior, the reasons for this relationship are unclear. Based on the integrated theoretical model of the development and maintenance of NSSI and the social development model of delinquency prevention, this study tested whether depression mediated the relationship between deviant peer affiliation and NSSI and whether this mediating effect was moderated by sensation seeking. A sample of 854 Chinese adolescents (31.50% male; Mage = 16.35; SD = 1.15) anonymously completed questionnaires on the study variables. Results of regression-based analyses showed that depression mediated the association between deviant peer affiliation and NSSI, and this effect was stronger among adolescents who reported high sensation seeking. The results demonstrate the role of individual differences in the link between affiliation with deviant peers and NSSI, and have implications for preventing and treating this risky behavior.
Highlights
(1) depression will mediate mediate the association between deviant peer affiliation and Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI); and (2) sensation seekthe association between deviant peer affiliation and NSSI; and (2) sensation seeking will ing will moderate the indirect relation between deviant peer affiliation and NSSI, such moderate the indirect relation peer affiliation and NSSI, such that higher that higher sensation seeking will intensify between the indirect deviant impact of deviant peer affiliation onsensation seeking will intensify the indirect impact of deviant peer affiliation on NSSI
The results indicated that deviant peer affiliation, sensation seeking, and depression were all positively correlated with NSSI
We found that depression mediated the quency prevention this tested whether depression mediated the relationship association deviant affiliationand and NSSI, NSSI, and thewhether indirect effect depression effect was moderbetweenbetween deviant peerpeer affiliation and thisofmediating was strengthened by sensation seeking
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Previous research showed that deviant peer affiliation is strongly correlated with risky behavior [11,12,13]. According to the social learning hypothesis of NSSI [1], adolescents may learn to engage in this risky behavior by observing their friends’ behavior In line with this theory, deviant peer affiliation has been shown to be related to a higher likelihood of adolescent NSSI [16,17]. The above theory and empirical research results highlight the possibility that deviant peer affiliation is a potential risk factor for adolescent NSSI. Based on the integrated theoretical model of the development and maintenance of NSSI [18] and the social development model of delinquency prevention [19], the current research tested depression as a mediator and sensation seeking as a moderator of the relationship between deviant peer affiliation and adolescent NSSI
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