ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry
This article is part of the Research TopicAdolescent Emotional Disorders and Suicide Self-Harm Crisis InterventionView all 41 articles
Assessing the prevalence, characteristics and psychosocial correlates of nonsuicidal self-injury among Vietnamese adolescent psychiatric outpatients: a cross-sectional study
Provisionally accepted
Hoang Yen Nguyen1,2
Xuan Thang Pham1
Cong Thien Le1,2
Thi Thu Ha Le1,2
Thi Thu Ha Tran1,2Thi Hue Doan1,2Thien Thang Tran3Tuan Khiem Ngo2Thi Nguyet Nga Pham1Thi Ha An Tran1,2
Van Tuan Nguyen1,2*- 1Department of Psychiatry, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam
- 2National Institute of Mental Health, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam
- 3Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Can Tho, Vietnam
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Background: Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a global public health concern due to its significant negative impact on adolescents' mental health and well-being. However, data on NSSI among Vietnamese youth remain limited. This study examined the prevalence, characteristics, and correlates of NSSI among Vietnamese adolescents seeking mental health support. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on adolescents aged 10–19 years attending outpatient departments at three psychiatric centers in Hanoi from May to November 2024. Participants were interviewed face-to-face by senior psychiatrists, and NSSI diagnosis was assessed using DSM-5-TR criteria (NSSI DSM-5). Univariate and multivariable logistic regression identified associated factors. Results: The 12-month prevalence of participants who met criteria for NSSI DSM-5 was 17.9%. Females reported a higher prevalence of NSSI DSM-5 and a greater urge to self-injure than males. In crude analyses, females also reported a greater diversity of NSSI methods and more body areas affected; however, these differences were not significant after adjustment. Scratching, cutting, and biting were the most common methods; cutting was more prevalent among females. NSSI motives were often combined, with the main purposes being relief from negative emotions or cognitive states and the induction of positive feelings, rather than coping with interpersonal difficulties. Shared factors associated with NSSI in both genders included a family history of self-harm, emotional abuse, and higher McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder scores. Conclusion: These findings raise awareness of NSSI among Vietnamese psychiatrists and provide important data for a low-and middle-income country with unique cultural characteristics. Further research and culturally sensitive interventions are needed.
Keywords: DSM-5, nonsuicidal self-injury, NSSI, self-harm, Vietnam
Received: 05 Sep 2025; Accepted: 28 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Nguyen, Pham, Le, Le, Tran, Doan, Tran, Ngo, Pham, Tran and Nguyen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Van Tuan Nguyen
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.