The Prevalence of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury and Its Risk Factors Among Patients with Depression or Bipolar Disorder in China

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of non-suicidal self-injury and its risk factors among patients with depression or bipolar disorder in China. 394 inpatients (Mage=29.71; SDage=11.95) with depression or bipolar disorder were recruited from two psychiatric hospitals in Beijing, China. A General Demographic Data Form, the Non-suicidal Self-injury Questionnaire (NSSI-Q), Impulsivity Items and the Adverse Childhood Experiences-International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) were completed by all patients. Of the 394 patients examined, 245 (62.2%) of this sample reported NSSI in past year. The most common methods of NSSI for female was “pinching" (23.1%) and "scratching" (22.8%), while for male it was "hiting hard objects" (12.7%). By multivariate regression analysis, young age, single in marital status, left-behind experience, impulsivity and ACEs were risk factors for NSSI. Our study points to the fact that there has been an unfortunate information in prevalence of NSSI among patients with depression or bipolar disorder in China. It is not only necessary to raise the awareness of NSSI among families and the society, but also to formulate targeted assessments and intervention. Moreover, future research should focus not only on individuals being hospitalized, but should be representative of individuals treated at home or in the community because there are no national statistics on NSSI among such patients in China.