Comparing Ruminative and Distracting Responses and Emotion Regulation Difficulties in Early Community Adolescents With and Without Self-Harm

Objectives This study aimed to compare the demographic characteristics, responses to negative emotions, and difficulties in emotion regulation between self-harming adolescents and control individuals aged 12–14 years from the community. Methods Data were collected from adolescents in Chungcheong Province, South Korea, between September 2021 and November 2022. Demographic characteristics and responses to the Depressed Mood Questionnaire and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-16 (DERS-16) were compared between the self-harm and control groups. Results The self-harm group exhibited a higher prevalence of child abuse (odds ratio [OR]=4.787, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.591–14.409, p=0.005) and school bullying victimization (OR=4.495, 95% CI=2.353–8.588, p<0.001) than those in the control group. The selfharm group displayed higher levels of rumination (t=7.88, p<0.001) and reduced distraction responses (reverse score t=2.25, p=0.025) than those of the control group. Additionally, the self-harm group scored higher on all subscales and the total DERS-16 score (t=7.61, p<0.001). Conclusion Interventions for self-harming adolescents should address child abuse and bullying victimization. Prevention programs for self-harming adolescents should focus on reducing rumination responses, increasing distractive responses, and addressing difficulties in emotion regulation using dialectical behavior therapy-skill training.