The Associations between Adolescent’s Perceptions of Fairness Regarding Parental Differential Treatment and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Adolescents: The Longitudinal Mediation Effect of Self-Esteem

自伤是指在没有自杀意愿的情况下故意伤害自己的行为。它已经成为青少年群体中一个普遍的心理健康问题。先前研究表明，青少年感知父母差别对待的公平性影响其心理健康水平。然而，目前尚未有研究探讨父母差别对待感知公平与青少年自伤的关系。为考察二孩家庭中父母差别对待感知公平与青少年自伤之间的纵向关系，以及自尊的纵向中介作用，本研究对1348名12~16岁中学生进行为期1年的三次追踪调查，分别在三个时间点(T1、T2和T3)收集数据。相关分析结果显示，T1父母情感、控制感知公平与T2自尊呈显著正相关，与T3自伤呈显著负相关；T2自尊与T3自伤呈显著负相关。中介分析结果表明，T2自尊在T1父母差别对待公平感知与T3自伤之间起中介作用。总之，本研究证实了父母差别对待感知公平与自尊是青少年自伤行为的两个长期保护因子，为预防和干预二孩家庭中青少年的自伤行为提供了新的思路。Self-injury refers to the deliberate act of injuring oneself without the intention of suicide. It has become a prevalent mental health issue among adolescents. Previous research has indicated that the perceived fairness of parental differential treatment affects the mental health levels of adolescents. However, there has been no study to date that explores the relationship between perceived fairness of parental differential treatment and adolescent self-injury. The present study aimed to investigate the longitudinal relationships between adolescent’s perceptions of fairness regarding parental differential treatment and adolescent self-injury in two-child families. Additionally, it examined the longitudinal mediating role of self-esteem in this relationship. The study followed 1,348 junior high school students aged 12 to 16 over one year, with data collected at three time points (Time 1, Time 2, and Time 3). Correlation analysis results showed that T1 perceived fairness of parental affection and control was significantly positively correlated with T2 self-esteem; Additionally, it was significantly negatively correlated with self-injury at T3. Furthermore, self-esteem at T2 was significantly negatively correlated with self-injury at T3. The mediation analysis results indicated that self-esteem at T2 mediated the relationship between perceived fairness of parental differential treatment at T1 and self-injury at T3. In conclusion, this study confirms that perceived fairness of parental differential treatment and self-esteem are long-term protective factors against adolescent self-injury, providing new insights for preventing and intervening in adolescent self-injury in two-child families.