Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Canada.
Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Canada.
J Affect Disord. 2024 Dec 15;367:202-209. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.09.003. Epub 2024 Sep 2.
Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is prevalent among emerging adults in post-secondary school, but little is known about change and stability in NSSI during the transition to university. Moreover, there has been limited person-centered work focusing on heterogeneity in NSSI engagement among students over time. The present study aimed to investigate the development and maintenance of NSSI across the first year of university and explore predictors of potential variability in trajectories of NSSI.
The present sample consisted of 1125 first-year university students at a large post-secondary institution (Mage = 17.96, 71 % female, 28 % male, 1 % gender diverse) who participated in a larger longitudinal study. Participants completed an online survey three times over their first year of university. Latent growth curve modeling (LGCM) in Mplus was utilized to explore different NSSI group trajectories across first year university.
NSSI was prevalent among first year students (35 %). LGCM revealed one developmental trajectory; NSSI engagement decreased across the first year of university. Students who engaged in NSSI had increased difficulties with emotion regulation, lower self-compassion, and lower levels of social support compared to students who did not engage in NSSI.
The present study may be subject to recall errors and future studies should include more gender diverse samples to increase generalization of findings.
Findings highlight the transition to university as a peak period of vulnerability for NSSI engagement and emphasize the need for proactive university intervention efforts to mitigate risk and improve student well-being.
非自杀性自伤（NSSI）在高等院校的成年早期人群中较为普遍，但对于大学生活过渡期间 NSSI 的变化和稳定性知之甚少。此外，很少有针对学生中 NSSI 参与的异质性进行的以个体为中心的工作。本研究旨在调查大学一年级期间 NSSI 的发展和维持情况，并探讨 NSSI 轨迹变化的潜在预测因素。
本样本包括来自一所大型高等院校的 1125 名一年级大学生（Mage=17.96，71%为女性，28%为男性，1%为性别多样化），他们参与了一项更大的纵向研究。参与者在大学第一年期间完成了三次在线调查。利用 Mplus 中的潜在增长曲线建模（LGCM）来探索大学一年级期间不同的 NSSI 群体轨迹。
NSSI 在一年级学生中较为普遍（35%）。LGCM 显示出一种发展轨迹；NSSI 参与度在大学一年级期间逐渐下降。与不参与 NSSI 的学生相比，参与 NSSI 的学生在情绪调节、自我同情和社会支持方面存在更多困难。
本研究可能存在回忆错误，未来的研究应包括更多性别多样化的样本，以增加研究结果的普遍性。
研究结果强调了大学过渡时期是 NSSI 参与的高风险时期，并强调了大学需要积极主动地进行干预措施，以减轻风险并提高学生的幸福感。
