Are Specific Components of Executive Function Associated with the Functions of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury? A Network...

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a significant public health concern among university students. Accumulating evidence suggests that deficits in executive function (EF) are associated with NSSI; however, little is known about how specific EF components relate to the specific psychological functions that motivate self-injury. This study aimed to investigate the fine-grained associations between EF dimensions and NSSI functions in university students with past-year NSSI using network analysis. Altogether, 1078 Chinese university students (82.6% female; Mage = 19.07, SD = 1.03) who had engaged in at least one NSSI behavior in the past year were enrolled. Executive function was assessed using the Adolescent Executive Function Scale, which measures three dimensions: inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and working memory. NSSI functions were assessed using the 19-item function subscale of the Adolescent Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Assessment Questionnaire. A Gaussian graphical model was used to estimate the network. Expected influence (EI) and bridge expected influence (BEI) were computed to identify core nodes and bridge nodes, respectively. Of the 231 possible edges, 117 (50.65%) were non-zero, with the strongest within-community edge linking "coping with sadness and disappointment" (F3) and "expressing despair and hopelessness" (F4). Across communities, the most prominent edge was between "inhibitory control" and "having a desire to harm myself and cannot stop". The three highest EI values were observed for "having a desire to harm myself and cannot stop," "letting others make changes," and "self-punishment". "Inhibitory control" showed the highest BEI in the EF community, while "having a desire to harm myself and cannot stop" showed the highest BEI in the NSSI function community. Both EI and BEI demonstrated excellent stability (CS coefficients = 0.75). In university students with past-year NSSI, inhibitory control and the uncontrollable urge to self-injure function as critical bridge nodes linking executive dysfunction to NSSI functions, while self-punishment and interpersonal influence motives emerge as central drivers in the network. These findings highlight inhibitory control, the uncontrollable urge to self-injure, self-punishment, and interpersonal influence as promising targets for precision interventions aimed at disrupting the maladaptive cycle maintaining NSSI in this population.