Gender similarities and differences in non-suicidal self-injury in an adolescent clinical sample

Abstract

ABSTRACT Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) continues to be an important problem in adolescents, and it was aimed to investigate the relationship between suicide probability, cyberbullying, impulsivity, and aggression with NSSI history in the adolescent clinical population on the basis of gender. 267 adolescents with a history of NSSI and 210 without were included. They filled the Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury (ISAS), Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Screening Scale (COASS), Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ), Suicide Probability Scale (SPS), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11-Short Form (BIS-11-SF). Four subscales and total scores of SPS, BPAQ, BIS-11-SF total scores were found to be significantly higher in males with a history of NSSI. BPAQ, BIS-11-SF motor, and attention impulsiveness, BIS-11-SF total scores, four subscales, and total scores of SPS were found to be significantly higher in females with a history of NSSI. Lower BIS-11-SF non-planning impulsivity, higher SPS/suicide ideation and hostility scores, and lower father’s education level were found to be the best predictive factors for ISAS total scores in males. In females, experience cyberbullying, lower age, higher SPS/suicide ideation and total scores were the best predictors. Knowing the factors associated with NSSI and the differences between genders will be effective in both preventing NSSI and shaping treatment modalities.