Motivational Complexity of Nonsuicidal Self-injury Associated with its Severity in Emerging Adult University Students

A comprehensive understanding of the functions of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) requires an in-depth exploration of the diverse motivational patterns that underlie this behavior. Despite its relevance, only a few studies have adopted a person-centered approach to examine the functional heterogeneity of NSSI. Given a documented second peak of NSSI during emerging adulthood, latent profile analysis was used to examine the multifaceted nature of NSSI-related motivations among emerging adult university students. Of the 1378 university student respondents, analyses were restricted to the 161 individuals (11.7%) who reported engaging in NSSI within the past month and fell within the emerging adulthood age range (18–25 years). In the examined group, 81.4% were female and 79.5% were enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program (Mage = 21.18 years, SD = 1.64). Based on endorsement patterns for 13 NSSI functions, two comprehensible classes emerged. The Multi NSSI functions class (15.6%) exhibited medium to high scores across both intrapersonal and interpersonal NSSI functions. In contrast to the other distinct profile (Only emotion regulation class; 84.4%), the more functionally diverse group demonstrated greater vulnerability to negative emotional states and certain risky behaviors. The findings highlight this distinct subgroup, which merits special attention, as their engagement in NSSI for multiple motivations indicates a particularly elevated risk of poor mental health.