The relationship between social exclusion and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) of college students: The mediating effect of rumination

Non-suicidal Self-injury (NSSI) has an association with psychological issues, increasing the risk of suicide. Social exclusion is a common and negative phenomenon, arising as a great risk factor for individuals' physical and mental health. College students are in a development period featuring challenges and opportunities, making them vulnerable to social exclusion and NSSI. In this context, this study explored the mechanism of rumination between social exclusion and NSSI among college students and its significance as a mediator. Participants were 674 Chinese college students selected using random cluster sampling. The questionnaires included the Social Exclusion Questionnaire for Undergraduates (SEQU), the Adolescent Self-Injury Scale (ASIS), and the Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS). Additionally, Bootstrap analysis was used to evaluate the mediating role of rumination between social exclusion and NSSI among college students. The results indicate significant positive correlations among social exclusion, NSSI, and rumination (r = 0.171,0.383,0.243, all p < 0.001). This suggests that college students' social exclusion can directly affect the occurrence of NSSI and indirectly influence NSSI through the mediating role of rumination (β = 0.20,t = 4.97,p < 0.001).