Characteristics of self-injurious behaviour and early traumatic experiences: associations with emotional reactivity, depression and aggression in university students

Background A lifetime history of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a risk factor for subsequent behavioural and emotional problems, including depression, aggression and heightened emotional reactivity. Traumatic experiences, which are frequently reported by individuals with NSSI, also show predictive links to these mental health problems. However, the exact connections between these areas and their subdomains remain unclear. Aims To explore in detail the relationships of specific characteristics of NSSI (e.g. termination in adolescence, duration, frequency, reinforcement mechanisms) and various types of traumatic experience (emotional, physical, sexual) with distinct aspects of emotional reactivity (sensitivity, intensity, persistence), aggression (behavioural, cognitive, affective) and severity of depression in university students. Method Via online survey, 150 university students aged 18 to 25 years, who had self-injured at least once, provided information on NSSI, and completed questionnaires including the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Patient Health Questionnaire, Emotion Reactivity Scale, and Aggression Questionnaire. Regression analyses were conducted to determine risk factors linked to increased depression scores, aggression and emotional reactivity. The study was pre-registered in the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00023731). Results Childhood emotional abuse contributed to emotional reactivity, aggression and depressive symptom severity ( β = 0.33–0.51). Risk factors for sustained NSSI beyond adolescence included increased automatic positive reinforcement (odds ratio: 2.24). Conclusions Childhood emotional abuse significantly contributes to emotional and behavioural problems and needs to be considered in NSSI therapy. NSSI was found to persist into adulthood when used as an emotion regulation strategy.