Investigating the temporal dynamics between academic stress, hostile self-criticism, and nonsuicidal self-injury among Chinese and Belgian adolescents: a random intercept cross-lagged panel model

Although previous studies have examined associations among academic stress (AS), hostile self-criticism (HSC), and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), the temporal directionality of these relationships remains underexplored. The present longitudinal study investigated the temporal dynamics among these constructs and examined whether these associations differed between Chinese and Belgian adolescents. A 6-month longitudinal study was conducted with 596 Chinese students (Mage = 15.05, SD age = 1.27) and 213 Belgian students (Mage = 14.22, SD age = 1.57), with measurements taken at 3-month intervals. The Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model revealed no significant between-person associations among AS, HSC, and NSSI. The only significant cross-lagged effect was that higher HSC predicted increased NSSI frequency 3 months later. In addition, no significant differences were found between China and Belgium in any autoregressive or cross-lagged paths at the within-person level. The present study deepens understanding of the temporal dynamics among AS, HSC, and NSSI, while suggesting that hostile self-criticism may be a particularly important prospective correlate of later NSSI. Academic stress appeared more as a concurrent contextual factor than as a robust prospective predictor.