@article{ref1,
title="Non-suicidal self-injury in adolescence: the role of pre-existing vulnerabilities and COVID-19-related stress",
journal="Journal of youth and adolescence",
year="2022",
author="De Luca, Lisa and Giletta, Matteo and Nocentini, Annalaura and Menesini, Ersilia",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="For many adolescents, the COVID-19 pandemic represents a uniquely challenging period, and concerns have been raised about whether COVID-19-related stress may increase the risk for self-injurious behaviors among adolescents. This study examined the impact of pre-existing vulnerabilities on the occurrence and frequency of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) through COVID-19-related stress, and whether the impact of COVID-19-related stress on NSSI was buffered by the perceived social support during the pandemic. Participants were 1061 adolescents (52.40% females; M(age) = 15.49 years, SD = 0.76) from a two-wave longitudinal study, which included assessments before the COVID-19 onset and one year later the declaration of the pandemic. Path analyses showed that adolescents with a prior history of NSSI, higher levels of internalizing symptoms, and poor regulatory emotional self-efficacy before the COVID-19 pandemic reported higher levels of COVID-19-related stress which in turn increased their risk to engage in NSSI. Besides, the findings did not support the role of social support as a moderator of the association between COVID-19 related stress and the occurrence/frequency of NSSI. These findings suggest that enhanced stress perception may serve as a key pathway for the continuation and development of NSSI among vulnerable adolescents facing adverse life events.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0047-2891",
doi="10.1007/s10964-022-01669-3",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01669-3"
}