The Predictive Effect of Depression on Self-Injury: Positive Youth Development as a Moderator

While findings have documented the association between adolescent depression and self-injury, few studies have investigated the moderating effect of positive youth development (PYD) qualities on the association. This study examined concurrent and longitudinal predictive effects of depression and PYD qualities on nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidal self-injury (SSI) among Chinese adolescents. The moderating effects of PYD qualities were also studied. Two waves of data with an approximate 6-month interval were collected from five primary and secondary schools in Chengdu, China. A total of 6,948 adolescents aged 10 to 16 (M-age = 12.91, SD = 1.69 at the first wave, 51.17% boys) formed the working sample. Latent moderated structural equation modeling revealed that depression was a positive concurrent and longitudinal predictor of both NSSI and SSI whereas PYD qualities showed adverse concurrent and longitudinal predictive effects. The latent interaction effects were also significant in both cross-sectional and longitudinal models, with PYD qualities mitigating the positive effects of depression on NSSI and SSI. The results suggest that PYD qualities did not only directly reduce the risk of NSSI and SSI among adolescents but also attenuated the influence of depression on self-injury. These findings provide additional evidence for the protective role of PYD qualities in adolescent development and imply that improving PYD qualities may be a promising way to prevent and treat adolescent self-injury.