Basic psychological need frustration and adolescent non-suicidal self-injury: Testing a moderated mediation model of depression and self-compassion

According to self-determination theory (SDT), when needs are chronically obstructed, individuals may use compensatory behaviors to temporarily relieve negative emotions aroused by need frustration. This study tested whether basic psychological need frustration is associated with non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) as a compensatory behavior. In a moderated mediation model, we also tested whether depression acted as a mediator in this association, and whether self-compassion moderated the indirect effect of depression. 1691 Chinese adolescents (ages 11–18; 55.3% girls) filled out questionnaires regarding basic psychological need frustration, depression, self-compassion, and NSSI. The results revealed that depression mediated the relationship between basic psychological need frustration and adolescent NSSI. Self-compassion moderated the indirect effect. Specifically, the indirect path was only significant for adolescents with low self-compassion. These findings explain the underlying mechanism of NSSI from a new perspective of SDT, which is of significance for the prevention and treatment of NSSI.