Implicit identification is associated with self-injury severity among clinically diagnosed adolescents with NSSI

Abstract

Background Compared to the general adolescent population, adolescents with a clinical diagnosis of NSSI tend to have more severe psychological problems and their self-injurious behaviors tend to be more severe. The positive feedback between implicit identification and self-harm may be more pronounced in this population than in the general population. Methods A total of 100 adolescent patients diagnosed with NSSI at the Department of Psychology, Shanghai Changzheng Hospital and the Psychological Medicine Clinic, Children's Hospital, Fudan University were prospectively recruited into the study. The SI-IAT was completed by each patient to assess his or her implicit identification with NSSI. The relationship between implicit identification and the severity of self-injury among these patients was analyzed. Results The study found that patients in the severe NSSI group had significantly higher D-scores than those in the mild NSSI group (0.849 [0.274, 1.541] vs. 0.361 [-1.001, 0.872], p = 0.003). Logistic regression analysis revealed that D-score had an independent influence on the severity of NSSI (OR = 3.201, p = 0.004). Conclusion Implicit identification had an independent influence on the severity of self-injury in clinically diagnosed NSSI adolescent patients. Research on implicit identification about self-injury may be beneficial for the prevention and intervention of NSSI.