Prediction of Non-suicidal self-Injury Behaviors in Adolescents based on Psychological Stress Response with the Mediation of Coping Styles and the Moderating Role of Sleep Disorders

Objective: This study aims to anticipate such behavior in adolescents by examining the influence of psychological stress responses, coping styles, and sleep disorders. Methods and Materials: This research employed descriptive-correlational methods and cross-sectional research design, utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population consisted of all adolescents in Gachsaran who engaged in non-suicidal self-injury behaviors from July to November 2023. The sample size comprised 192 adolescents with non-suicidal self-injury behaviors, chosen through purposive sampling. Assessment tools included the Behavior Problems Inventory-01 (BPI-01), Mini Sleep Questionnaire (MSQ), coping strategies questionnaire (CSQ), and self-reporting questionnaire 20 (SRQ-20). The research utilized SPSS version 27 for conducting descriptive statistics and SmartPLS version 4 for path analysis. Sobel's test was used to assess the significance of the mediator variable, with the significance level set at 0.05. Findings: The current study revealed that sleep disorders like Hypersomnia and Insomnia have a notable and beneficial influence on self-injury actions, according to the study results (P<0.05). Only Physical restraint among coping styles had a significant and negative effect on self-injury behaviors (β=-0.257, P<0.001). Additionally, the psychological stress response was negatively related to coping styles (p< 0.001) and had a positive and significant effect on self-injury behaviors (β=0.264, P<0.001). The variable dimensions of sleep disorders, including Hypersomnia and Insomnia, did not act as a significant moderator in the relationships between the variables examined in the study. Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, it can be said that increasing physical restraint can reduce self-harm behaviors in adolescents, and sleep disorders and psychological stress response can predict the increase in self-harm behaviors. Also, psychological stress can lead to a decrease in coping styles.