Parental Corporal Punishment and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Among Chinese Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Depressive Symptoms and the Moderating Role of the GABRA2 Genotype

Abstract

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a global health concern. Parental corporal punishment is shown to be related to NSSI, with unclear underlying mechanisms. The current study tested a potential mediator (i.e., depressive symptoms) and moderator (i.e., the GABRA2 rs279858 genotype) in the relationship between parental corporal punishment and NSSI. Chinese adolescents (N = 673; 53% girls; aged 11–14 years) completed self-report measures and provided saliva samples for DNA genotyping. A moderated mediation model was tested. The results showed that parental corporal punishment was positively associated with NSSI, and depressive symptoms partially mediated this association. The linkage between depressive symptoms and NSSI was weaker among rs279858 GA or GG genotype carriers than AA genotype carriers. Implications of this study are discussed.