Group intervention for non-suicidal self-injury in college students guided by the Process Model of Emotional Regulation: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: Emotion regulation difficulties are a key risk factor for non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) behaviors. This study aimed to reduce self-injurious behaviors among college students by employing various emotional regulation strategies-including distraction, emotional expression, self-focused and situation-focused cognitive change, and problem-solving-based on the Process Model of Emotional Regulation. METHODS: A total of 56 college students with NSSI behaviors participated in the study, with 28 participants in the experimental group and 28 in the control group. The experimental group received eight sessions of group intervention, while the control group received no intervention. The Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, Beck Depression Inventory-II, and Adolescent Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Assessment Questionnaire were used at three time points: pre-intervention, post-intervention and 2 months' follow-up. An open-ended questionnaire was used to investigate intervention benefits, and a single-item measure was adopted to assess intervention satisfaction. RESULTS: This open-ended investigation showed that group members benefited in three aspects: internal changes, external changes, and meaningful experiences. The intervention group demonstrated significant reductions in the levels of anxiety, depression and NSSI behaviors after the intervention, whereas the control group showed no significant changes over the same period. Group members reported high overall satisfaction with the intervention (4.82 ± 0.39). CONCLUSION: Guided by the Process Model of Emotion Regulation, this preliminary multi-strategy emotion regulation group intervention is feasible and acceptable, and linked to decreased severity of anxiety, depression, and NSSI among college students.