# Parental harsh parenting and non-suicidal self-injury among Chinese adolescents: the role of emotional uncontrollability, deviant peer affiliation, school disengagement, and self-control

## TL;DR

Harsh parenting increases the risk of self-harm in Chinese adolescents, but this risk is reduced for those with strong self-control.

## Contribution

The study identifies emotional uncontrollability as a mediator and self-control as a moderator in the link between harsh parenting and self-injury.

## Key findings

- Harsh parenting predicts emotional uncontrollability, deviant peer affiliation, and school disengagement in adolescents.
- Emotional uncontrollability and deviant peer affiliation are linked to non-suicidal self-injury.
- Self-control buffers the risk pathway from harsh parenting to self-injury.

## Abstract

Parental harsh parenting poses a significant risk for adolescent non−suicidal self-injury (NSSI). This longitudinal study investigated whether emotional uncontrollability, deviant peer affiliation, and school disengagement mediate the link between harsh parenting and adolescent NSSI, and whether these pathways are moderated by adolescents’ self-control.

A total of 513 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 10.32 years; SD = 0.96 years) were assessed at two time points six months apart.

T1 parental harsh parenting positively predicted T2 emotional uncontrollability, deviant peer affiliation, and school disengagement. T2 emotional uncontrollability and deviant peer affiliation, in turn, were associated with T2 NSSI. The mediating effect of T2 emotional uncontrollability on the relationship between T1 harsh parenting and T2 NSSI was significant. Moreover, this indirect link was significant for adolescents with low self-control, but not for those with high self-control.

These findings highlighting the critical role of emotional uncontrollability as a mediator and, more importantly, self-control as a key moderator that buffers this risk pathway. These results suggest that interventions aimed at enhancing self-regulation and emotion-management skills may help mitigate the risk of NSSI among adolescents exposed to harsh parenting.