Volume 11,Issue 5
The Influence of Parental Rearing Styles on Non-suicidal Self-harm Behaviors in Patients with Depression: The Mediating Effect of Alexithymia
Objective: To explore the influence of parental parenting styles on non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) behaviors in adolescent patients with depression, and to test the mediating role of alexithymia in this process. Method: A total of 180 adolescent patients with depression who were hospitalized or receiving outpatient treatment in a tertiary hospital in Wuhan were selected. The Parenting Behavior Inventory (PBI), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and the Adolescent Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Behavior Questionnaire (ANSAQ) were used for assessment. Correlation analysis was conducted using SPSS 26.0, and the mediating effect was tested using the PROCESS macro program. Results: The detection rate of NSSI in adolescent patients with depression was 57.8% (104/180). Negative parenting styles were significantly positively correlated with NSSI (r = 0.384, p < 0.01), and the total score of alexithymia was significantly positively correlated with NSSI (r = 0.495, p < 0.01), while positive parenting styles were significantly negatively correlated with alexithymia (r = -0.356, p < 0.01). The mediation effect test showed that alexithymia played a partial mediating role between parental parenting styles and NSSI, with an indirect effect value of 0.186 and a 95% confidence interval of [0.092, 0.291]. Conclusion: Negative parenting styles of parents can directly or through the mediating role of alexithymia increase the risk of NSSI behavior in adolescent patients with depression. Early identification and intervention of alexithymia may help reduce the NSSI behavior of adolescent patients with depression.
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