Influence of stress on self-injury among Chinese left-behind adolescents is not cast in stone: Synergistic roles of family protective factors

Background: Left-behind adolescents are vulnerable to stressful life events and often engage in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), which is a growing public concern in China. However, little is known about the synergistic protective effect of family resources on the relationship between stressful life events and NSSI in these adolescents. Objective: Based on theories of family socialization and resilience, the aim of this study was to examine the synergistic protective role of maternal knowledge and mother-child cohesion in buffering the effect of stressful life events on NSSI in father-absent left-behind adolescents. Methods: This study used two-wave longitudinal data. The analytical sample included 673 adolescents (Mage = 13.47 +/- 1.11 years, 48 % male) who were enlisted from 4 junior high schools in rural China. Respondents completed questionnaires on stressful life events, parental knowledge, parent-child cohesion, and NSSI at two-time points. Results: The effects of stressful life events on NSSI were significant in father-absent left-behind adolescents. Additionally, maternal knowledge moderated the associations between stressful life events and NSSI in father-absent left-behind adolescents. Moreover, maternal knowledge and mother-child cohesion were found to play synergistic protective roles in the relationship between stressful life events and NSSI. In father-absent left-behind adolescents, only high maternal knowledge and high-quality mother-child cohesion could eliminate the negative effect of stressful life events on NSSI. Conclusion: The findings underscore the synergistic protective roles of maternal knowledge and mother-child cohesion in buffering the negative effect of stressful life events on NSSI in fatherabsent left-behind adolescents. Both maternal knowledge and mother-child cohesion should be considered in interventions aimed at reducing NSSI in these adolescents.