Differential Psychological and Social Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Spanish Youth With and Without Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: A Longitudinal Analysis

• Carlos Schmidt ^[1] ; Daniela Otero ^[1] ; Juan C. Pascual ^[3] ; Soledad Romero ^[2] ; Joaquim Puntí ^[4] ; Anais Lara ^[5] ; Anna Sintes ^[6] ; Iria Mendez ^[7] ; Stella Nicolaou ^[8] ; Joaquim Soler ^[1] ; Daniel Vega ^[8]
  1. [1] Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau

     Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau

     Barcelona, España

     
  2. [2] Hospital Clinic Barcelona

     Hospital Clinic Barcelona

     Barcelona, España

     
  3. [3] 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
  4. [4] 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
  5. [5] Servicio de Psiquiatría, ALTHAIA, Xarxa Assistencial de Manresa, 08243, Barcelona, Spain
  6. [6] Servicio de Psiquiatría y Psicología, Hospital de Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Ll., 08950 Barcelona, Spain
  7. [7] Servei de Psiquiatria & Psicol Infantil Juvenil. Hospital Universitari Mutua Terrassa, Fundació Recerca Mutua Terrassa, 08221 Barcelona, Spain
  8. [8] Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Universitari d’Igualada (Consorci Sanitari de l’Anoia), Fundació Sanitària d’Igualada, 08700 Barcelona, Spain

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• Localización: Actas españolas de psiquiatría, ISSN 1139-9287, Vol. 54, Nº. 2, 2026, págs. 287-300
• Idioma: inglés
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  • 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 (postpandemic). Participants were grouped based on the pres-ence 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.