TY - JOUR
PY - 2024//
TI - Can digital self-harm relate to suicidal thoughts and behaviors beyond physical self-harm?
JO - Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica
A1 - Wang, Juan
A1 - Wei, Ziqian
A1 - Jia, Luxia
A1 - Yu, Jiaao
A1 - Wang, Yuanyuan
A1 - Meng, Yaxuan
A1 - Feng, Yi
A1 - Chen, Runsen
SP - ePub
EP - ePub
VL - ePub
IS - ePub
N2 - BACKGROUND: Digital self-harm (DiSH) is a recently identified self-harm distinct from physical self-harm (PSH, also known as non-suicidal self-injury, NSSI). Although prior research has shown that DiSH was associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs), it was still unclear whether DiSH has a unique association with STBs after controlling for PSH.
METHOD: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on Chinese college students. The lifetime prevalence of DiSH and PSH, the functions of DiSH, recent suicide experiences (including suicide ideation, plans, and attempts), anxiety and depression were examined. A total of 5281 participants were analyzed.
RESULTS: A total of 10.83% of participants had ever engaged in DiSH, and 1.59% of participants reported histories of both DiSH and PSH. Among participants with a history of PSH, 30.11% engaged in DiSH. Engagement in DiSH was significantly associated with suicide ideation (SI), suicide plans (SPs), and suicide attempts (SAs). More importantly, participants who engaged in both DiSH and PSH showed higher odds of SI and SPs compared to those who had only engaged in PSH. Regarding the functions of DiSH, using DiSH for self-punishment was associated with SI and SPs, and using DiSH for sensation seeking was associated with SPs and SAs. Similar results were found for the association between DiSH and anxiety and depression.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that DiSH has a unique association with the risks of STBs beyond PSH. Early identification and intervention for DiSH are crucial, even for individuals who already engage in PSH.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0001-690X UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/acps.13658 ID - ref1 ER -