Predicting self-harming behaviors based on attachment styles and early maladaptive schemas among adolescents; mediating roles of trauma, emotion dysregulation, impulsivity and self-criticism

Introduction: Self-harming behavior is a major clinical issue in adolescence. In this study, we aimed to clarify the pathway from attachment styles and early maladaptive schemas to self-harming behavior through the mediating roles of trauma, emotion dysregulation, impulsivity, and self-criticism among adolescents in Iran. Methods: A sample of 558 (263 girls and 295 boys) middle school-aged adolescents (aged 13-17) were recruited. Participants had at least one self-harming behavior in their clinical records. Self-report questionnaires in this research were completed online. Results: The Sobel Test revealed that attachment styles and early maladaptive schemas had significant indirect effects on self-harming behavior. More specifically, attachment styles had indirect effect on self-harming behavior with mediating roles of trauma, emotion dysregulation, and self-criticism except impulsivity. Early maladaptive schemas had an indirect effect on self-harming behavior with mediating roles of emotion dysregulation, impulsivity, and self-criticism except trauma. Conclusions: Our findings, which were based on the assessment of the model, provided new insight to the relationship of attachment styles and early maladaptive schemas with self-harming behavior.