Recently, Professor Yuan Tifei, TCCI Investigator and member of Shanghai Mental Health Center, Professor Shaohua Hu of The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine and a team of investigators led by Dongwu Xu at the School of Mental Health and The Affiliated Wenzhou Kangning Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, co-authored an article titled Risk Factors for non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adolescents: A meta-analysis which was published in EClinicalMedicine, part of THE LANCET Discovery Science. The article systematically summarized risk factors correlated to non-suicidal self-injuries among adolescents and provided important references for the prevention and intervention of NSSI behaviors.
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is defined as direct, repetitive injury to the body without suicidal intent, including a variety of behavioral patterns, such as cutting, burning, hitting, scratching, and hair pulling. It is common among adolescents as a health-threatening factor. This study is the first of its kind solely targeting the meta-analysis of NSSI behaviors among adolescents. The risk factors for NSSI in adolescents differ from those associated with adults who are more likely to be influenced by former NSSI experiences and emotional disorders. NSSI in adolescents are more related to sleep problems and harmful childhood experiences. Given all the risk factors included in this study, parents, teachers and medical workers should stay alert and implement targeted preventive measures.