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Adolescent Nonsuicidal Self-Injury and Suicidality: A Latent Class Analysis and Associations with Clinical Characteristics in an At-Risk Cohort.

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is frequently encountered in adolescents, but its predictive value for suicidality or other clinical characteristics is challenging due to its heterogeneous nature. This study used latent class analysis to identify subgroups of NSSI and compared these on sociodemograph...

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Published in:Journal of Youth & Adolescence Vol. 53; no. 5; pp. 1197 - 1214
Main Authors: de Neve-Enthoven, N. G. M., Ringoot, A. P., Jongerling, J., Boersma, N., Berges, L. M., Meijnckens, D., Hoogendijk, W. J. G., Grootendorst-van Mil, N. H.
Format: Article
Published: Springer Nature May2024
Subjects:
Self-injurious behavior
Substance abuse
Self-mutilation
Suicide
Sociodemographic factors
Interpersonal relations
Social support
Research funding
T-test (Statistics)
Structural equation modeling
Chi-squared test
Manuscripts
Longitudinal method
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Summary:Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is frequently encountered in adolescents, but its predictive value for suicidality or other clinical characteristics is challenging due to its heterogeneous nature. This study used latent class analysis to identify subgroups of NSSI and compared these on sociodemographic characteristics, adverse outcomes and protective factors. The study included 966 high-risk adolescents, Mage 14.9 y, SD 0.9 y, 51.8% female. Four classes emerged: (1) "Low NSSI–Low suicidality", (2) "Moderate NSSI-Low suicidality", (3) "Moderate NSSI-High suicidality", and (4) "High NSSI-High suicidality". Girls predominated in the high suicidality classes. Generally, Class 4 had the poorest outcomes: more internalizing and externalizing problems, less social support from friends and families and worst self-esteem. These findings emphasize the need for interventions tailored to specific phenotypes of adolescents engaging in NSSI.