Pattern of non-suicidal self-injury in Chinese male prisoners: A latent class analysis

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) occurs more frequently in the prisoner population than in the general population. Monitoring and management of this behavior is challenging because NSSI may present in diverse ways. People often use more than one method of NSSI, and there are many possible combinations of these behaviors. We used latent class analysis (LCA) to identify subgroups of male inmates based on methods and frequency of NSSI.

A total of 1042 male prisoners in China (M_age  = 38.45, SD = 10.67) completed measures of hopelessness, sensation seeking, identity integration, and suicidal ideation, and NSSI was assessed in a structured interview.

Results of the LCA supported a three-class model: high-NSSI (1.8%), moderate-NSSI (8.0%), and no-or-negligible NSSI (90.2%). Multinomial logistic regression analyses showed that prisoners in the high-NSSI and moderate-NSSI classes were significantly more likely than those in the no-or-negligible NSSI class to show high hopelessness, high sensation seeking, and low identity. Furthermore, suicidal ideation was significantly higher in the high-NSSI and moderate-NSSI classes than in the no-or-negligible NSSI class.

Classifying groups of prisoners based on features of NSSI is potentially useful for understanding risk factors and for developing tailored prevention and treatment strategies.