Dimensions of family stress and repetitive nonsuicidal self-injury in adolescence: Examining the interactive effects of impulsivity and emotion dysregulation

Repetitive non-suicidal self-injury (R-NSSI) in adolescence represents a significant risk factor for suicide. Although exposure to family stress is robustly associated with the risk of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), studies have not examined the potential mechanisms linking different forms of family stress and R-NSSI. This study examined how unique dimensions of family stress (threat and deprivation) relate to R-NSSI via interactions between impulsivity and emotion dysregulation. The current sample included 3801 middle-school adolescents (42.2 % girls, Mage = 13.21 years). We conducted a two-wave study with 6-month intervals. Participants completed self-report measures assessing family stress, impulsivity, emotion dysregulation, and NSSI. Moderate mediation analyses showed that threat was indirectly associated with NSSI frequency through the interaction of impulsivity and emotion dysregulation in the R-NSSI group and indirectly through impulsivity in the occasional NSSI (O-NSSI) group. Deprivation did not predict subsequent NSSI frequency in either group. These findings lend empirical support to dimensional models of adversity and suggest that adolescents who experience threat-related family stress may have greater impulsivity and are more likely to report R-NSSI in the context of emotion dysregulation.