suicide probability in adolescents with a history of childhood maltreatment: the role of non-suicidal self-injury, emotion regulation difficulties, and forms of self-criticism

background suicidal attempt and non-suicidal self-injury are very common in adolescents with a history of childhood maltreatment. by identifying correlates of these kinds of high-risk behaviors, it is possible to prevent and decrease completed suicide. objectives the aims of this study were: 1) to compare adolescents with a history of childhood maltreatment with non-suicidal self injury (nssi) or past suicidal attempt in terms of suicide probability, and 2) to investigate the association between nssi, forms of self-criticism, emotion regulation difficulties, and suicide probability. patients and methods participants were 169 adolescents living in iranian social welfare centers who had a history of childhood maltreatment. the suicide probability scale, difficulties in emotion regulation scale, forms of self-criticism, and the non-suicidal self injury (nssi) checklist were used for assessment. results adolescents with nssi and suicidal attempts had higher rates of suicide ideation than adolescents with nssi-only (p < 0.05). feelings of inadequacy, self-hatred, difficulty with impulse control, and frequency of nssi can predict 50% variance of suicide probability (p < 0.001). conclusions adolescents with histories of suicidal attempts and nssi, compared with adolescents with nssi-only, were more prone to suicide. self-criticism, poor impulse control, and the frequency of nssi were the main risk factors associated with suicide probability in adolescents with a history of childhood maltreatment.