Personality Traits and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Adolescents: The Role of Depressive Symptoms as an Explanatory Mechanism

• Gabardón, Celia ^[1] ; Calvete, Esther ^[1]
  1. [1] Universidad de Deusto

     Universidad de Deusto

     Bilbao, España

     
• Localización: Revista de Psicología Clínica con Niños y Adolescentes: Journal of Clinical Psychology in Childhood and Adolescence, ISSN-e 2340-8340, Vol. 13, Nº. 3, 2026, págs. 51-59
• Idioma: inglés
• Títulos paralelos:
  • Rasgos de personalidad y autolesiones no suicidas en adolescentes: el papel de los síntomas depresivos como mecanismo explicativo
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo (pdf)
• Resumen
  • español

    Las autolesiones no suicidas son un problema de gran relevancia en la adolescencia. El objetivo principal del presente trabajo fue determinar si existe relación entre tres rasgos de personalidad (neuroticismo, extraversión y control esforzado) y las autolesiones no suicidas en adolescentes y si los síntomas de depresión actúan como variable explicativa. Participaron 747 adolescentes de edades comprendidas entre los 13 y los 18 años (50.9% chicas), los cuales completaron medidas de autolesiones no suicidas (frecuencia y funciones de reforzamiento automático y social), personalidad y síntomas depresivos. Los resultados de los modelos regresivos mostraron que niveles altos de neuroticismo y bajos en extraversión y control esforzado se asociaban con más síntomas depresivos, y estos a su vez con mayor frecuencia de autolesiones no suicidas y uso de estas con funciones de reforzamiento automático y social. Estas asociaciones fueron similares en chicos y chicas. Estos resultados pueden informar a las intervenciones preventivas de autolesiones no suicidas en adolescentes.

  • English

    Non-suicidal self-injury is a highly relevant issue during adolescence. The main objective of the present study was to determine whether there is a relationship between three personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, and effortful control) and non-suicidal self-injury in adolescents and whether depressive symptoms act as an explanatory mechanism. A total of 747 adolescents aged 13 to 18 years (50.9% girls) participated in the study. Participants completed measures assessing non-suicidal self-injury (frequency and automatic and social reinforcement functions), personality traits, and depressive symptoms. Results from regression models showed that high levels of neuroticism and low levels of extraversion and effortful control were associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms, which in turn were related to a higher frequency of non-suicidal self-injury and greater use of these behaviors for automatic and social reinforcement functions. These associations were invariant for boys and girls. The findings may inform preventive interventions targeting non-suicidal self-injury in adolescents.

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