EFFECTS OF GROUP PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELING ON NONSUICIDAL SELF-INJURY (NSSI) BEHAVIORS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS WITH DEPRESSION

Background: The depression of college students requires psychological intervention based on clinical drug treatment. Group psychological counseling is an effective psychological intervention. This study aims to explore the effect of group psychological counseling on negative emotions and Nonsuicidal Self-injury (NSSI) behaviors of college students with depression. Subjects and methods: A total of 84 students with depression by screening diagnosis at Qingdao University in March 2018 were divided into the control group (n=42) and the intervention group (n=42). Students in the control group only received drug therapy, whereas the intervention group underwent group psychological counseling intervention based on drug therapy. A comparison between depression, self-injury behaviors, and sense of life purpose of the two groups before and after the intervention was performed. Results: The post-test Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) standard score of students in both groups was significantly lower than the pre-test SDS standard score (P<0.05). The SDS standard scores of the post-test and the trace test in the intervention group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). Compared with the pre-test value, the total scores in the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) of the post-test in both groups significantly increased. The intervention group received significantly higher scores in the MLQ of the post-test and trace test compared with the control group (P<0.05). Both groups also received significantly higher scores in the post-test in the Quality System Audit (QSA) compared with the pre-test (P <0.05). The intervention group also received higher scores on the post-test and trace test in some dimensions in the QSA compared with those of the control group (P<0.05). Conclusions: Group psychological counseling intervention for college students with depression can alleviate their depressive symptoms, improve their sense of life meaning, reduce the risk of suicide, and control their NSSI behaviors.