Self-Regulation, Emotional Symptomatology, Substance Use, and Social Network Addiction in Adolescent Self-Harm

Background: Non-suicidal self-injurious behavior (NSSI) is a phenomenon of growing concern in the field of mental health during adolescence. Methods: In a sample of 354 adolescents (51.7% boys) with a mean age of 15.01 years (range between 12 and 20 years), the relationships of NSSI with self-regulation strategies, substance use, dependence on social networks, and symptomatology were analyzed. Results: The results showed that adolescents who engage in NSSI use fewer adaptive strategies of emotional self-regulation (self-control) and make greater use of strategies such as self-blame and rumination than those who do not engage in NSSI. They also show more psychological symptomatology, more dependence on social networks, and more substance use. Gender is an important factor, with more girls (62.8%) than boys (37.2%) self-harming. Regression analyses showed that self-harm was associated with more symptomatology and more substance use for both boys and girls. For girls, it was also associated with maladaptive self-regulation strategies. The variables analyzed allow us to correctly classify 89.5% of the boys who do not self-harm and 72.8% of the girls who do. Conclusion: This study provides insight into the relationships among self-regulation, digital addiction, substance use, emotional symptomatology, and NSSI in adolescents, highlighting the importance of gender.