Introduction:

Research on non-suicidal self-injury raises awareness of this phenomenon, enabling the early detection and implementation of more effective strategies in prevention and treatment. This leads to a reduction in individual suffering, economic costs, and impact on society.

Objective:

To determine the frequency and associated factors of non-suicidal self-injury in a sample of the adult population of Paraguay.

Methodology:

This was a descriptive, cross-sectional, and prospective study. An online survey was disseminated through social networks and messaging applications. The survey included questions on sociodemographic and clinical data. The presence of self-injury was determined by using the Spanish version of the Self-Harm Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used for all the variables. The chi-square test was used to examine associations.

Results:

There were 241 participants (mean age=32±12 years, 74.7%female). A non-suicidal self-injury frequency of 24.5% (n=59) was observed. Of these, 91.5% reported suicidal ideation at least once. An association was found between income level and the frequency of non-suicidal self-injury (χ^2=16,9 gl=2 p<0,001). The main factors associated with non-suicidal self-injury were a previous diagnosis of a mental disorder (OR=4.81) and a history of physical or sexual abuse (OR=3.00).

Conclusion:

Through this research, it was determined that almost one in four adult participants self-injured. Most of them had had suicidal thoughts at least once. In addition, income below the minimum wage and factors such as a previous mental disorder and a history of physical or sexual abuse were associated with non-suicidal self-injury.

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