Non-suicidal self-injury in Chinese population: a scoping review of prevalence, method, risk factors and preventive interventions

Non-suicidal self-injury behavior (NSSI) is a serious public health concern that requires immediate attention. Despite the high prevalence of NSSI among the Chinese population, there is a significant gap in research on the comprehensive picture of this field. Therefore, a scoping review was conducted to investigate the prevalence, methods, risk factors, and preventive intervention programs related to NSSI in China. The review found that the estimated lifetime prevalence of NSSI among Chinese youth population is alarmingly high at 24.7% (N = 1,088,433). Common methods of NSSI include scratching, hitting, and biting. Additionally, the review synthesized 249 risk factors based on the biopsychosocial-ecological framework, highlighting the urgent need for intervention. However, only 12 empirical studies focus on NSSI prevention or intervention programs were included. These findings underscore the necessity for more clinical practices and larger studies to identify effective interventions and ultimately alleviate the burden of NSSI on the Chinese population.FundingThis review was supported by Humanity and Social Science Youth foundation of Ministry of Education (22YJCZH018), Science and Technology Innovation 2030 (STI2030-Major Projects: 2021ZD0200702), National Natural Science Foundation of China (81825009), and Shuimu Tsinghua Scholar. No funding agencies were involved in the data collection, data analysis, and writing of this paper.