Identifying intervention targets for adolescent non-suicidal self-injury via in silico interventions: The gender-specific roles of chronic stress and emotion regulation

Identifying effective intervention targets for adolescent non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) remains challenging. We assessed NSSI, chronic stress, and emotion regulation in 2114 Chinese university students. By employing Ising network models and in silico interventions, we identified specific maintenance pathways. Results showed that dysfunctional cognitive reappraisal drove NSSI behaviors in females, whereas emotional suppression fueled NSSI functions in males. Crucially, chronic stress emerged as the most effective universal intervention target, producing the greatest NSSI reduction across genders. Future interventions should prioritize alleviating chronic stress while adopting gender-tailored strategies: enhancing cognitive reappraisal for females and emotional expression for males. These findings provide robust support for precision NSSI prevention and treatment programs.