Introduction. Preadolescent self-harm remains a neglected area in psychological research, particularly in non-Western contexts. Early-onset self-harm is associated with an elevated risk of suicide and recurrent self-injurious behavior. Rural children face elevated mental health challenges compared to global averages, highlighting the need to understand self-harm profiles in these populations.
Purpose. This study included 2418 children from 16 rural primary schools across 7 provinces in China, with 497 reporting a history of self-harm. The aim was to identify distinct motivational profiles of self-harm and examine their psychosocial correlates to inform targeted prevention strategies.
Method. Latent class analysis (LCA) was conducted based on motivational indicators of self-harm. The subgroups were validated using self-harm frequency, suicide risk, peer self-harm, and comorbid conduct problems, and were related to demographic covariates such as gender, grade, and parental presence.
Results. The latent class analysis revealed a three-class model. Class 1 (38.23%) was characterized by happiness, high self-esteem, and sociability. Its members tended to self-harm only once in the past year, had the lowest suicide risk, and exhibited minimal conduct problems. Class 2 (35.01%) showed moderate dysfunction, self-harm frequency, suicide risk, and conduct problems, while Class 3 (26.76%) was characterized by high severity in these indicators. The high grade was related to membership in the moderate dysfunction subgroup.
Conclusions. The atypical profile of class 1 underscores the importance of broadening screening beyond conventional distress-based criteria. The high prevalence (20.55%) and severity in class 3 highlight the urgent need for early intervention in rural settings. Parental absence is an influential contextual factor shaping severe self-harm behaviors, emphasizing the necessity for family-based prevention and community support systems in rural China.