RAISR4D Suicide

Echoes of Trauma: Multi-Timescale Pathways Linking Childhood Trauma to Adolescent Non-Suicidal Self-Injury via Social Exclusion

23/05/2026

AI Summary

Childhood trauma predicts higher adolescent NSSI directly and indirectly via social ignoring and social rejection.
Multi-timescale evidence shows these pathways operate across long-term longitudinal and daily diary timescales.
Rejection-NSSI links vary by trauma level, indicating heterogeneity and need for refined risk identification and timing-sensitive intervention.

Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2026 Jun;56(3):e70110. doi: 10.1111/sltb.70110.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is common during adolescence and is robustly associated with childhood trauma.

OBJECTIVES: The present study examined how early trauma translates into long-term vulnerability and daily risk of NSSI.

METHODS: Using a multi-timescale integrative design, this study combined two-wave longitudinal survey data (N = 1328) with a 13-day daily diary study (N = 287) to examine long-term and daily processes linking childhood trauma, social exclusion, and adolescent NSSI.

RESULTS: Childhood trauma was directly associated with higher levels of NSSI and indirectly related to NSSI through both social ignoring and social rejection. These pathways were consistently supported across long-term and daily timescales. In addition, marked heterogeneity emerged in the rejection-NSSI association, with distinct risk patterns observed across levels of trauma exposure.

CONCLUSION: Grounded in developmental psychopathology and interpersonal stress frameworks, this study integrates longitudinal and intensive daily data to show how distal childhood trauma contributes to adolescent NSSI through proximal social experiences. The findings provide empirically grounded guidance for refined risk identification and timing-sensitive intervention in adolescent populations.

PMID:42175679 | DOI:10.1111/sltb.70110

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