Exposición a la violencia en casa y conductas autolesivas: el rol de la supresión emocional en adolescentes

The present study examined the effect of emotional suppression between exposure to violence at home and self-injurious behaviors in Peruvian adolescents. The sample consisted of students of both genders in first and second grade of secondary education from two public educational institutions. Three instruments were administered: self-injury questionnaire, violence exposure questionnaire, and emotional regulation questionnaire. The analysis of the structural equation model, performed using the Robust Maximum Likelihood estimator, showed an adequate adjustment, confirming the study hypotheses. A direct effect of exposure to direct violence on self-injury (β =.49, p <.001) and of exposure to indirect violence (β =.13, p =.017) was found. Likewise, mediation analysis confirmed the mediating role of emotional suppression in the relationship between exposure to direct violence and self-injury (β =.025, p =.024, CI 95% [0.00, 0.02]). It is concluded that youth who experience violence in the home and resort to emotional suppression as a coping strategy may be more likely to develop self-injurious behaviors.