The Journal of Practical Medicine ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (8): 1367-1372.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-5725.2026.08.009

• Chronic Disease Control • Previous Articles    

A study on the relationship between non-suicidal self-injurious behavior, aggressive behavior and sleep in children and adolescents with mood disorder

Junjie WANG1,2,Xuanlin ZENG2,Peishan CHEN2,Zehao CHEN2,Yonghua XIE2,Lanlan WU2,Hu ZHAO1()   

  1. 1.Faculty of Forensic Medicine,Zhongshan School of Medicine,Sun Yat?Sen University,Guangzhou 510080,Guangdong,China
    2.Department of Psychiatry and Psychology,Huadu District People's Hospital of Guangzhou (Huadu Institute of Medicine,Guangzhou),Guangzhou 510800,Guangdong,China
  • Received:2026-02-03 Online:2026-04-25 Published:2026-04-28
  • Contact: Hu ZHAO E-mail:hzhao@163.com

Abstract:

Objective To explore the relationship between non-suicidal self-injurious behavior, aggressive behavior, and sleep in children and adolescents with mood disorders, and to investigate whether there are differences in this relationship between the two genders, so as to improve the early intervention treatment for children and adolescents with mood disorders. Methods A total of 404 child and adolescent patients aged 10 - 19 who were diagnosed with mood disorders were collected from the Psychiatry Department of Huadu District People's Hospital in Guangzhou from January 2023 to January 2025. Self-rating scales were used to assess the clinical severity of the patients, including depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, sleep quality, and aggressive behavior. The outpatient doctors noted whether the patients had engaged in self-harming behavior in the past. Results Among all patients, the incidence of previous or current self-harm behavior was 60.64%. Among these self-harm patients, 85.71% were female. Among all pediatric and adolescent patients, there was a correlation between aggressive behavior and sleep. In female patients, this correlation was significant. In male patients, however, only sleep quality was inversely proportional to the score of physical aggression (r = -0.34, P = 0.043). Conclusion Among children and adolescents with mood disorders, sleep is associated with aggressive behavior, and this association is more significant in females than in males, who also have a higher incidence of non-suicidal self-injurious behavior.

Key words: mood disorder, self-injury, sleep, aggressive behavior, children and adolescents

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