Relationship between Impulse Control Difficulties and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Adolescents with Childhood Maltreatment History: Mediating Role of Self-Inadequacy

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between impulse control difficulties and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) with mediating role of self-inadequacy in adolescents with childhood maltreatment history. In a correlation design، 169 adolescents with childhood maltreatment history were selected using cluster sampling. Participants were asked to complete Non-suicidal self- Injury checklist، Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS)، and Self-Criticism/Self-Reassurance Scale (FSCSR). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation، multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA)، multivariate regression and mediation analysis. The history of NSSI was present in 49% of participants، while the history of NSSI in girls was higher than boys. There was a significant relationship between overall score of emotion regulation difficulties and self-criticism with frequency of NSSI. Mediation analysis showed that self-inadequacy has a mediating role in relationship between impulse control difficulties and NSSI. It seems impulse control difficulties as an emotional vulnerability factor and self-inadequacy as a mediating mechanism are predictors of NSSI. These findings support emotion regulation model and developmental pathology of NSSI. The adolescents following self-injury suffer from stable inner impulse control disorder، although their reasons for self-injury are not because of repulsion، self-disgust and masochism