Haiyan XIE, Sheng-jiao ZHAO, Jiahui LU, Yanyan WU, Ping FANG, Yu ZHANG, Yujian MOU, Yun-Rong LU
Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology - 2026;36(3):241-248
Background: A comprehensive investigation has been employed, focusing on the characteristics of adolescent depression with non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and its association with childhood trauma, inflammatory markers, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor ( BDNF ). Methods: Based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) diagnostic criteria, 110 patients with first-episode depression aged 12-18 years old were recruited from the outpatient clinic over a 10-month period and were divided into a depression group with NSSI (57 patients) and a depression group without NSSI (53 patients). The scores of the childhood trauma questionnaire, Self-Rating Depression Scale, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale , and levels of BDNF and inflammatory factors were compared. Correlation analysis was performed to examine the relationship between the value of childhood trauma and variables such as anxiety, depression, BDNF , and inflammatory markers. Logistic regression was performed to analyze independent risk factors for NSSI. Results: 1) Instances of physical and emotional neglect, occurrences of sexual and emotional abuse, and levels of depression and anxiety in the NSSI group were significantly higher in comparison to the group without NSSI. Levels of interleukin ( IL)-4 and IL-6 were higher, and BDNF was lower than in the group without NSSI. 2) Emotional abuse, sexual abuse, IL-4, and IL-6 were independent risk factors for NSSI in depressed adolescents. 3) Physical abuse and sexual abuse were correlated with IL-6 (r = 0.289, P = .029; r = -0.295, P = .026), emotional abuse and emotional neglect were correlated with the ratings on the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale ( r = 0.330, P = .012; r = 0.299, P = .024). Conclusion: Inflammatory factors and BDNF levels in the cohort of adolescent depression patients with NSSI differed from those without NSSI, and different traumas have different effects on inflammatory factors. It was indicated that individuals in the NSSI group experienced more childhood trauma and more prominent inflammatory alterations, which may imply they are more prone to emotional dysregulation, requiring the need for timely and targeted intervention.
