Characteristics and Unidimensionality of Non-suicidal Self-injury in a Community Sample of Spanish Adolescents

Few studies have explored the prevalence and unidimensional structure of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) in Spanish adolescents. In this study, we estimated the prevalence, types, and functions of NSSI in 1,733 Spanish adolescents, and we tested the unidimensional factorial structure of non-suicidal self-injury. 24.6% of the adolescents referred to having self-injured at least once during their lifetime, and 12.7% had self-injured using more severe methods of NSSI. The most frequent types of NSSI were interfering with wounds (14.6%), scratching (12.5%), and hitting (11.7%). We found no differences between genders in NSSI frequency. The majority of the participants who self-injured referred to intrapersonal functions. The confirmatory factor analyses of the ISAS-I structure showed a single factor with 10 items, thus supporting the unidimensionality of the construct of NSSI. NSSIs reflect difficulties in regulating emotions or managing interpersonal relationships in young Spanish people, and these behaviours seem to constitute a unique and latent dimension. Thus, there is a need for intervention programmes focused on managing problems of emotional regulation and maladaptive self-injury behaviours.