The effects of different types of parent-child conflict on non-suicidal self-injury among adolescents: the role of self-criticism and sensation seeking

Prior research has demonstrated a negative correlation between the parent-child relationship and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents. However, dysfunctional parent-child relationships encompass a variety of forms, and the potential disparities in the impact of different types on NSSI remain uncertain. The current study examined the impact of a dysfunctional parent-child relationship on adolescent NSSI through psychological and physical mechanisms. Additionally, the study explored the influence of self-criticism and sensation seeking on these effects. The present study comprises two samples. Sample 1 comprises 725 high school students (mean age of 15.44 ± 0.55 years), while sample 2 consists of 341 college students (mean age of 18.41 ± 0.73 years). Each participant filled out the Adolescent Non-Suicidal Self-Injurious Assessment Questionnaire, the Parent-Child Conflict Questionnaire, the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scales, the Self-criticism Subscale of the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire, and the Sensation Seeking Questionnaire. The results suggested that parent-child conflict may influence NSSI in high school students both directly and indirectly through the effects of self-criticism and sensation seeking. In college students, the direct effect of parent-child conflict on NSSI was not significant, and self-criticism completely mediated the relationship between parent-child conflict and NSSI. Additionally, parental-child corporal punishment was directly related to NSSI for both high school and college students, and the mediation effects of self-criticism and sensation-seeking were not significant in either of them. In addition, the direct effect of parental-child corporal punishment was greater than that of parent-child conflict. The current study revealed that two distinct forms of dysfunctional parent-child relationships exhibit inconsistent patterns of influence on NSSI during both early and late adolescence.