Observational Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Psychiatry. Jun 19, 2025; 15(6): 106017
Published online Jun 19, 2025. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i6.106017
Adolescent non-suicidal self-injury: The moderating influence of social support utilization on depression
Jin-Tao Hu, Yang Cao, Lu-Lu Liu, Dan Wang, Ping Zhu, Xia Du, Feng Ji, Rui-Jie Peng, Qing Tian, Feng Zhu
Jin-Tao Hu, Yang Cao, Lu-Lu Liu, Dan Wang, Ping Zhu, Xia Du, Feng Ji, Rui-Jie Peng, Qing Tian, Feng Zhu, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Suzhou Psychiatric Hospital, The Affiliated Guangji Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215137, Jiangsu Province, China
Co-first authors: Jin-Tao Hu and Yang Cao.
Co-corresponding authors: Qing Tian and Feng Zhu.
Author contributions: Hu JT drafted the manuscript and supervised the review of the study, revised this manuscript by reading the revision comments carefully and understanding their specific suggestions, which improved the paper’s overall quality and dependability; Cao Y and Zhu F conceived and designed the study, identifying the topic of this research; Liu LL, Wang D, Zhu P, Du X, Ji F, and Peng RJ participated in data processing and statistical analysis; Hu JT, Cao Y, Tian Q, and Zhu F drafted the manuscript and supervised the review of the study; Tian Q and Cao Y contributed to data analysis and interpretation. All authors seriously revised and approved the final manuscript. Hu JT and Cao Y contributed equally to this work as co-first authors. Tian Q and Zhu F contributed equally to this work as co-corresponding authors. The designation of Tian Q and Zhu F as co-corresponding authors is justified by their equal and critical contributions to the study’s conceptualization, supervision, and execution. Both researchers played pivotal roles in securing funding (e.g., Jiangsu Province Social Development Project, Suzhou Science and Technology Program) and overseeing ethical approvals, data collection, and institutional coordination. Their dual leadership ensured robust methodological rigor and alignment with clinical objectives. Additionally, shared responsibilities in manuscript drafting, revisions, and communication with stakeholders-coupled with their distinct expertise (e.g., Tian Q’s focus on data interpretation and Zhu F’s oversight of statistical analysis)-warranted equal recognition. This dual designation also reflects collaborative academic norms, acknowledging their synergistic efforts in guiding the research from inception to dissemination, while facilitating efficient correspondence across multidisciplinary and logistical demands.
Supported by Jiangsu Province Social Development Project, No. BE2022735; Jiangsu Innovative and Entrepreneurial Talent Programme, No. JSSCBS20211584; Suzhou Clinical Key Disciplines for Geriatric Psychiatry, No. SZXK202116; and Suzhou Science and Technology Program Projects, No. SKY2023075, No. SYWD2024037 and No. MSXM2024032.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Suzhou Guangji Hospital (approval date: February 24, 2022). All procedures adhered to ethical standards, including voluntary participation, informed consent, and strict confidentiality of participant data.
Informed consent statement: All participants and their legal guardians provided written informed consent prior to study enrollment. The study protocol, including objectives, procedures, risks, and confidentiality measures (e.g., anonymized data handling), was approved by the Ethics Committee of Suzhou Guangji Hospital. Participants were informed of their right to withdraw at any time without consequences.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors state that they have no conflicts of interest to report.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: Technical appendix, statistical code, and dataset available from the corresponding author at [sunnytien@126.com]. Participants gave informed consent for data sharing.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Qing Tian, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Suzhou Psychiatric Hospital, The Affiliated Guangji Hospital of Soochow University, No. 11 Guangqian Road, Suzhou 215137, Jiangsu Province, China. sunnytien@126.com
Received: February 17, 2025
Revised: March 28, 2025
Accepted: April 21, 2025
Published online: June 19, 2025
Processing time: 104 Days and 8.5 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: This study explores the link between depression and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adolescents with major depressive disorder, highlighting the crucial role of social support utilization. It reveals that while the mere presence of social support may not suffice, effective utilization of such support can significantly weaken the association between depression and NSSI. The findings emphasize the need for interventions aimed at enhancing adolescents' ability to utilize social support and culturally informed approaches to reduce NSSI risk.