Psychosocial functioning in adolescents with non-suicidal self-injury: the roles of childhood maltreatment, borderline personality disorder and depression

Ghinea, Denisa; Fuchs, Anna; Parzer, Peter; Koenig, Julian; Resch, Franz; Kaess, Michael (2021). Psychosocial functioning in adolescents with non-suicidal self-injury: the roles of childhood maltreatment, borderline personality disorder and depression. Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, 8(1), p. 21. BioMed Central 10.1186/s40479-021-00161-x

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Background: There is a lack of studies examining psychosocial functioning in patients with non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), especially in adolescents, and rates of impaired functioning in existing literature vary considerably. These variations may be attributable to further risk factors that influence psychosocial functioning. Thus, the aim of the study was to examine whether adolescent NSSI patients with childhood maltreatment (CM), a known risk factor for lower psychosocial functioning, may differ from adolescent NSSI patients without CM, and whether these differences may be explained by the severity of comorbid disorders. Specifically, we examined whether severity of borderline personality disorder (BPD), depression and posttraumatic stress disorder may explain differences in psychosocial functioning in NSSI patients with and without CM.

Methods: Data of 368 adolescents with NSSI disorder from an outpatient clinic were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Clinicans' rating of the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF) was collected, in addition to clinical interviews.

Results: Results indicate that GAF scores were lower among NSSI patients with CM and that the difference in psychosocial functioning between these groups was explained by BPD and depression severity.

Conclusions: Psychosocial functioning in NSSI patients varies depending on whether they have experienced CM or not. Specifically, these differences seem to be attributable to higher BPD and depression severity in adolescent NSSI patients with CM. Clinicians should ensure to assess CM and focus on BPD and depression severity in this population. Treatment of BPD and depression may notably reduce psychosocial impairment in NSSI patients with CM.

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