Self-injurious behavior as a risk factor of suicidal behavior: a narrative review of foreign longitudinal studies

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Context and relevance.</strong> Self-injurious behavior is widespread among adolescents and young adults and represents a significant risk factor for suicide attempts. Meanwhile, the mechanisms underlying the transition from self-injuries to suicidal behavior remain insufficiently studied, which makes longitudinal studies particularly important. <strong>Objective.</strong> To summarize findings from foreign longitudinal studies, assess the contribution of self-injuries to the development of suicidal behavior, and identify factors facilitating the transition to suicide attempts. <strong>Methods</strong>. This narrative review is based on systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and individual longitudinal studies involving adolescent, student, and adult samples. Data on the prevalence of self-injuries, suicidal ideation, attempts, and completed suicides were analyzed, along with psychopathological, psychological, and sociodemographic factors.<strong> Results.</strong> The reviewed studies confirm a robust association between self-injuries and suicide attempts. Early onset of self-injurious behavior, use of multiple methods, and high frequency of repeated episodes increase the risk of suicidal behavior. Key risk factors include emotional dysregulation, mental disorders, traumatic experiences, interpersonal vulnerability, male gender, older age, and somatic illnesses. <strong>Conclusions</strong>. Reducing suicide risk requires early identification of self-injurious behavior, monitoring of psychoemotional status, development of emotion regulation strategies, and strengthening of interpersonal relationships. Future research should explore factors promoting mental and physical health and identify early precursors to self-injurious tendencies.</p> <div class="XTranslate" style="all: unset;"></div>