Emotion regulation weakens the associations between parental antipathy and neglect and self-harm

Abstract

Using a representative sample of 7918 Portuguese adolescents (Mage = 15.5, SD = 1.7, 53.3% female gender) and three self-report measures of parental antipathy and neglect, self-harm and its functions, and emotion regulation, this cross-sectional study examined the moderating role of emotion regulation in the links between these negative childhood experiences and self-harm in adolescence. Maternal and paternal antipathy and neglect had the largest effects on self-harm for youth with low levels of emotion regulation. These results emphasize the relevance of promoting emotion regulation across multiple contexts (e.g., school, family, legal system) for the prevention of adolescent self-harm, even in situations with a history of childhood emotional abuse and/or neglect.