Prevalence, correlates and common methods of non-suicidal self-injury in South Asia: a systematic review

INTRODUCTION: The dynamics of self-harm vary substantially around the world, yet it is severely under-researched outside of a small number of high-income ‘Western’ countries. South Asia is disproportionately impacted by suicide, yet we know less about non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in the region. OBJECTIVE: To review and summarise evidence on the prevalence, correlates and common methods of NSSI in South Asia. METHODS: We searched Medline, Embase and PsycINFO for the period 1 January 2000 to 31 August 2023, for peer-reviewed observational studies. A total of 11 studies from eight South Asian countries that reported prevalence and/or correlates of NSSI were included in this review. We assessed the quality of the studies using the Study Quality Assessment Tools for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies. We used meta-regression to describe the sources of heterogeneity. Abstracted data were summarised using thematic synthesis. RESULTS: For non-clinical populations, the 12-month prevalence of NSSI ranged from 3.2% to 44.8%, and the lifetime prevalence ranged from 21% to 33%. For clinical populations, the 12-month prevalence of NSSI ranged from 5% to 16.4%, while the lifetime prevalence ranged from 2% to 27%. Male sex, unemployment, financial stress, history of suicidal behaviour and depression were associated with a higher risk of NSSI. Better access to counselling services, higher self-esteem and self-knowledge were associated with a lower risk of NSSI. CONCLUSION: The burden of NSSI in South Asia appears to be high in both clinical and non-clinical populations. Further research, especially with general population samples, is needed to build evidence on the epidemiology, context and meaning of NSSI in South Asia to inform the design of context-specific interventions. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022342536.