Exploring the determinants of non-suicidal self-injury among university students in Jordan: a cross-sectional study

Deliberate bodily harm without suicidal intent has become a growing concern among young adults and adolescents. This study aims to explore the determinants of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and its correlation with psychological distress and mobile phone addiction (MPA) among university students in Jordan.

A quantitative cross-sectional study targeting university students in Jordan. The data was collected from 394 students using a semi-structured online questionnaire that included socio-demographic characteristics; Self-Harm Inventory scale (SHI); Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9); General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7); and Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV). SPSS 30 was used for descriptive and multivariate analysis. Spearman's correlation, Chi-square, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U were applied. Binary logistic regression was conducted to identify the predictors of significant NSSI.

Prevalence of significant self-harm (threshold of SHI ≥5) was 20.56%. Higher levels of anxiety and depression were strongly associated with increased NSSI severity (p <.001). Depression was a strong predictor of significant self-harm (p <.001, OR = 1.21). Participants who reported experiencing negative or traumatic events during childhood, or having a family member with a psychological disorder, were significantly more likely to fall into the higher-risk NSSI category (p <.001).

This study demonstrated alarming levels of self-harm behaviors among university students in Jordan as measured by SHI. NSSI was strongly associated with psychological distress and dysfunctional family environment, which may provide insight into its etiology and has implications for early identification and intervention.