Arch Suicide Res. 2023 Jul-Sep;27(3):905-921. doi: 10.1080/13811118.2022.2084004. Epub 2022 Jun 13.
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) appears to be more common among women than men, though the underlying reasons for this remain unclear. In a community sample of young adults ( = 996, aged 18-33) assessed during the COVID-19 pandemic, we investigated alternative explanation for the NSSI prevalence gap: are women more likely to experience the feelings which lead to NSSI as a coping strategy, or does this prevalence gap result from differences in how men and women respond to distress?
Cross-sectional mediation and moderation analyses tested how self-reported psychological distress (K10), emotion dysregulation (DERS), and impulsivity (UPPS-P) may contribute to a higher prevalence of NSSI among women.
Women were twice as likely as men to report past-year NSSI (14.47% versus 7.78%, OR = 2.00, 95% CI [1.29, 3.13]). Women reported significantly higher psychological distress and significantly lower sensation seeking and positive urgency than men. Psychological distress partially statistically mediated the relationship between gender and past-year NSSI. Gender did not significantly moderate associations between psychological distress, emotion dysregulation, or impulsivity and past-year NSSI. Past-year NSSI prevalence did not significantly decrease with age and we found no significant age by gender interaction.
Greater levels of NSSI in young women are partly explained by their greater levels of psychological distress, but not by differences in how men and women respond to this distress. Given similar levels of psychological distress, emotion dysregulation, and impulsivity, women and men are similarly likely to experience NSSI. HighlightsWomen aged 18-33 were significantly more likely to report past-year NSSI than menWomen's greater psychological distress contributed to their higher NSSI prevalenceVariables investigated here were similarly associated with NSSI in men and women.
非自杀性自伤（NSSI）似乎在女性中比男性更为常见，尽管其背后的原因仍不清楚。在一项针对 COVID-19 大流行期间的年轻成年人（ = 996，年龄 18-33 岁）的社区样本中，我们调查了导致 NSSI 患病率差异的其他解释：女性是否更有可能经历导致 NSSI 的情绪，作为应对策略，还是这种患病率差异是由于男性和女性对痛苦的反应不同所致？
横断面中介和调节分析测试了自我报告的心理困扰（K10）、情绪调节障碍（DERS）和冲动性（UPPS-P）如何导致女性 NSSI 患病率更高。
女性报告过去一年 NSSI 的可能性是男性的两倍（14.47%对 7.78%，OR=2.00，95%CI[1.29,3.13]）。女性报告的心理困扰明显更高，感觉寻求和积极冲动明显更低。心理困扰部分统计上介导了性别与过去一年 NSSI 之间的关系。性别并没有显著调节心理困扰、情绪调节障碍或冲动性与过去一年 NSSI 之间的关系。过去一年 NSSI 的患病率并没有随着年龄的增长而显著下降，我们也没有发现年龄与性别之间的显著交互作用。
年轻女性 NSSI 患病率较高的部分原因是她们的心理困扰程度较高，但并非是因为男女对这种困扰的反应不同。在具有相似心理困扰程度的情况下，男女经历 NSSI 的可能性相同。
