Adolescent Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: An Integrative Review of Clinical, Psychopathological, and Sociocultural Dimensions.

Abstract

Background: Self-injury has become increasingly prevalent among adolescents and young adults over the past decades, reflecting the intersection between individual vulnerability and sociocultural transformations. Understanding this phenomenon requires not only a clinical perspective but also a broader reflection on how current social dynamics - such as digital hyperconnectivity and weakened interpersonal bonds - shape subjectivity and emotional regulation.

Summary: This article offers an integrative and interpretive study based on the authors' previous empirical research conducted in 2022, which included semi-structured clinical interviews with 20 young people (19 females and 1 male) aged between 13 and 28 years who engaged in skin-cutting. The analysis considered four dimensions: family dynamics, identity, symptom onset and context, and the function of the symptom. The findings revealed that self-injury is associated with difficulties in identity formation, emotional regulation, and family relationships, which were interpreted in light of contemporary sociocultural changes. To enrich this perspective, theoretical contributions from sociology and philosophy were incorporated to link individual experience with the broader cultural framework.

Key messages: Self-injury reflects not only intrapsychic conflict but also the impact of sociocultural transformations characteristic of postmodernity. Understanding its meaning requires integrating clinical, familial, and sociocultural levels of analysis. The proposed therapeutic approach combines evidence-based strategies for emotion regulation with interventions that address the patient's identity and social context. This work aims to provide clinicians with conceptual and practical tools to better understand and treat self-injury as a phenomenon rooted in contemporary culture.