Differential Psychological and Social Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Spanish Youth With and Without Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: A Longitudinal Analysis
Por:
Schmidt C, Otero D, Pascual JC, Romero S, Puntí J, Lara A, Sintes A, Mendez I, Nicolaou S, Soler J and Vega D
Publicada:
1 mar 2026
Ahead of Print:
15 abr 2026
Resumen:
Background: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adolescents and young adults is a serious public health concern. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted mental health worldwide. This longitudinal study aimed to investigate the differential impacts of COVID-19 on psychological health, social support, and academic performance among young adults with and without previous history of NSSI. Methods: From an initial sample of 603 college students, 241 (40%) completed this 2.5-year follow-up study. The first assessment was in January-February/2020 (pre-pandemic) and the second in June-July/2022 (post-pandemic). Participants were grouped based on the presence or absence of NSSI at baseline. Variables assessed included sociodemographic data, academic performance, COVID-19-related experiences, clinical characteristics, and perceived social support. Results: A significant reduction in the prevalence of NSSI behaviors was observed over the follow-up period, decreasing from 35% to 8.7%. The NSSI group endorsed worse academic performance post-pandemic. While they maintained stable clinical severity with no observed worsening, during pandemic period they experienced an improvement in perceived social support. In contrast, the Non-NSSI group experienced a decline in perceived social support during the same period. Conclusions: Contrary to previous studies, our findings indicate that young adults with NSSI significantly reduced self-harm behaviors after the COVID-19 pandemic. Although their academic performance was negatively affected, their clinical severity and social support did not worsen compared to those without NSSI. Findings indicate that the COVID-19 outbreak did not increase NSSI behaviors or exacerbate psychopathology in individuals with NSSI.
Filiaciones:
Schmidt C:
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Universitari d'Igualada (Consorci Sanitari de l'Anoia), Fundació Sanitària d'Igualada, 08700 Barcelona, Spain
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica-Sant Pau (IIB-SANT PAU), 08041 Barcelona, Spain
Otero D:
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Universitari d'Igualada (Consorci Sanitari de l'Anoia), Fundació Sanitària d'Igualada, 08700 Barcelona, Spain
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica-Sant Pau (IIB-SANT PAU), 08041 Barcelona, Spain
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Barcelona, Spain
Pascual JC:
Mental Health and Psychiatry Department, Consorci Hospitalari de Vic. Institut de Recerca i Innovació en Ciències de la Vida i de la Salut a la Catalunya Central (IRIS-CC) 08500, Barcelona, Spain
Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
Romero S:
Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
6Instituto de Neurociencias, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
Puntí J:
Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
Salud Mental, Corporació Sanitària Parc Taulí de Sabadell, 08208, Barcelona, Spain
Lara A:
Servicio de Psiquiatría, ALTHAIA, Xarxa Assistencial de Manresa, 08243, Barcelona, Spain
Sintes A:
Servicio de Psiquiatría y Psicología, Hospital de Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Ll., 08950 Barcelona, Spain
Mendez I:
Servei de Psiquiatria & Psicol Infantil Juvenil. Hospital Universitari Mutua Terrassa, Fundació Recerca Mutua Terrassa, 08221 Barcelona, Spain
Nicolaou S:
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Universitari d'Igualada (Consorci Sanitari de l'Anoia), Fundació Sanitària d'Igualada, 08700 Barcelona, Spain
Soler J:
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica-Sant Pau (IIB-SANT PAU), 08041 Barcelona, Spain
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Barcelona, Spain
Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
Vega D:
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Universitari d'Igualada (Consorci Sanitari de l'Anoia), Fundació Sanitària d'Igualada, 08700 Barcelona, Spain
Green Submitted, hybrid
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