Work

Parenting Behavior Profiles and Subsequent Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Chinese Adolescents: A Prospective Moderated Serial Mediation Model

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Parenting behaviors, including autonomy support and psychological control, have been shown to significantly influence adolescent non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). However, the underlying mechanisms linking heterogeneous parenting behavior profiles to adolescent NSSI remain unclear. This two-wave longitudinal study (with a one-year interval) of 742 Chinese adolescents (52.7% girls; Mage at Time 1 = 13.40 years) identified four distinct parenting profiles using latent profile analysis (LPA): Supportive (43.6% of the sample), Controlling (17.4%), Moderate Mixed Parenting (33.1%) and High Mixed Parenting (5.9%). Multicategorical serial mediation analysis revealed that adolescent emotion regulation difficulties and depressive symptoms serially mediated the relationship between parenting profiles and NSSI for adolescents in the Controlling, Moderate Mixed Parenting and High Mixed Parenting Profiles. Notably, these mediating effects were significant only for girls. These findings underscore the importance of adopting person-centered and sex-sensitive intervention strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of detrimental parenting behaviors on adolescent NSSI.

Source: Child Psychiatry & Human Development

DOI: 10.1007/s10578-026-01963-2

Authors: Qingna Du, Nini Wu, Dongli Luo, Xiangrong Zheng, Li Lin

Institutions: South China Normal University, Guangdong University of Education, Lingnan University

Language: English

Topic: Suicide and Self-Harm Studies

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,390