Non-suicidal self-injuries in a sample of Mexican university students (original) (raw)

Introduction. Non-suicidal self-injuries (NSSI) are a worldwide health problem that affects principally young people, and can impact negatively the mental and physical health of those that self-injure. Objective. To examine the frequency of NSSI in 564 undergraduate students (132 male, 432 female) from Mexico City and the association of NSSI with depressive symptoms, anxiety, impulsivity, self-efficacy, and emotion regulation. Method. A convenience sample of 564 undergraduate students (aged 17-26 years) from eight universities in the Mexico City metropolitan area completed a survey in their classrooms. Results. Of the total sample, 30.9% had experimented at some point in their lifetime with NSSI on one to four occasions, while 26.9% had recurrent NSSI (i.e., five or more occasions). Nearly eleven percent self-injured in the prior 12 months. The NSSI most often reported among those who self-injured was cutting oneself (48.0%). Recurrent self-injurers reported higher levels of depress...