Interparental conflict and adolescent non-suicidal self-injury: the roles of harsh parenting, identity confusion, and friendship quality.

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents has become a serious public health problem in many countries. Based on the integrated theoretical model of NSSI and the framework of developmental psychopathology, we tested the mediating mechanisms and the moderator of the association between interparental conflict and NSSI by constructing a moderated serial mediation model. 589 adolescents (50.1% girls; ages 12–19 years) were recruited from a secondary school in China. Participants anonymously completed questionnaires regarding interparental conflict, harsh parenting, identity confusion, friendship quality, and NSSI. Regression analysis showed that interparental conflict was positively associated with adolescent NSSI, and this association was mediated by harsh parenting and identity confusion independently. Interparental conflict also indirectly predicted NSSI through the serial mediation effect of harsh parenting and identity confusion. Friendship quality weakened the relationship between identity confusion and NSSI. The findings are consistent with the framework of developmental psychopathology, and highlight the important role of friendship quality in the prevention and intervention of NSSI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]