Celia Gabardón, & Esther Calvete
Study Highlights the Key Role of Depression Between Personality and Adolescent Self-Harm.
Researchers at the University of Deusto have analyzed the relationship between personality traits and non-suicidal self-injury during adolescence. Led by Celia Gabardón and Esther Calvete, the study evaluated adolescents aged 13 to 18 to determine whether depressive symptoms act as an explanatory mechanism in this dynamic.
The results demonstrated that high levels of neuroticism, combined with low levels of extraversion and effortful control, were associated with greater depressive symptomatology. In turn, these depressive symptoms were linked to a higher frequency of self-injurious behaviors, as well as their use for both automatic and social reinforcement functions.
The analysis revealed that these associations were invariant across both boys and girls. These findings provide valuable evidence to inform preventive interventions targeting emotional regulation and depressive symptoms in youth.
