Attachment Style and Emotional Regulation in Adolescence: Possible Predictive Factors of NSSI Framed According to the Integrated Gestalt Perspective. A Scoping Review.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) refers to any form of intention- ally self-inflicted injury aimed at achieving psychological relief. This phenomenon inten- sified following the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw a rise in new psychopathological onsets, particularly among the adolescent population. The objective of this review is to understand to what extent NSSI acts represent, for young individuals, an attempt at emo- tional self-regulation and a coping strategy to deal with unpleasant or intolerable emo- tional experiences, and how attachment bonds may serve as predictive factors for the on- set of such behaviors Methods: a scoping review accordings Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol was conducted Results: Following the analysis of the materials selected in the literature, a strong association was found be- tween deficits in emotional regulation and self-injurious behaviors Conclusions: This lit- erature review has shown that adolescents’ use of NSSI can be understood as an attempt to contain emotional distress when faced with significant difficulties in emotional regulation and coping strategies.