Childhood trauma and nonsuicidal self-injury in vocational students: A moderated mediation model

• Ling Yang

  School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University

• Chenzhe Sun

  School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University, and Students' Affairs Office, Zhengzhou Railway Vocational & Technical College

• Hua Cao

  School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University

• Yanjun Li

  School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University

• Yuna Cui

  School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University

• Yongyong Wu

  Bencao College, Henan University of Chinese Medicine

• Qianqia Li

  Students’ Affairs Office, Zhengzhou Railway Vocational & Technical College

It is a matter of public concern that the risk of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is high among vocational college students. The benefits and barriers model of NSSI considers childhood trauma an important vulnerability factor that influences NSSI through negative self-schema. Therefore, exploration of possible protective factors is necessary to inform NSSI interventions. We investigated the potential protective function of Chinese cultural beliefs about adversity and whether negative self-schema mediates the connection between childhood trauma and NSSI. Questionnaires were completed by 898 vocational college students aged 18–23 years. The results indicated that childhood trauma directly predicted NSSI and also indirectly predicted NSSI via negative self-schema. Additionally, Chinese cultural beliefs about adversity, as a vulnerability protective factor, moderated the relationship between childhood trauma and NSSI (i.e., the first half of the mediation effect). Thus, a self-schema and adversity belief-based intervention can help to prevent NSSI behavior among vocational college students.

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