Narrative Review of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Among Indian College Students: An Underexplored Mental-Health Concern

The present narrative review synthesizes existing research on non-suicidal self-injury among Indian college students examining its prevalence, forms, repetition, impact, reasons and functions for engagement, and suggested intervention approaches as well as future research directions, while highlighting underexploration and limitations.

This review synthesized 11 research which consistently showed that Indian college students engaged in non-suicidal self-injury at a concerning rate using multiple forms, such as cutting, scratching, and burning skin, while emotion regulation, interpersonal distress, self-punishment, attention-seeking, and using non-suicidal self-injury as a coping mechanism emerged as reasons. Findings also suggested multi-level and socio-ecological intervention approaches. However, the literature remains limited in exploring non-suicidal self-injury with regard to its repetition, broader impact, cultural-specific assessment, and the empirical evaluation of intervention approaches in Indian college settings. Non-Suicidal Self-Injury is a prevalent mental-health concern in Indian college settings but remains underexplored. Future research on non-suicidal self-injury in Indian college settings may be longitudinal, span across wider regions and socio-cultural backgrounds, develop cultural-specific assessments, and evaluate intervention approaches.