Latent profiles of regulatory emotional self-efficacy and their moderating role between peer victimization and non-suicidal self-injury among Chinese left-behind children.

Résumé

BACKGROUND: In China, left-behind children account for 22.5% of the national child population. Left-behind children have increasingly drawn scholarly attention due to their pronounced emotional and adjustment difficulties, with regulatory emotional self-efficacy (RESE) recognized as a crucial factor in their psychological and behavioral development. Prior research indicates that peer victimization constitutes an important risk factor for non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among left-behind children; however, individual differences in emotion regulation capacities may shape this association. Accordingly, the present study aims to identify the latent profiles of RESE among left-behind children and to examine whether these profiles moderate the association between peer victimization and NSSI.METHODS: This study surveyed 482 Chinese left-behind children (255 males; age = 15.24 years,  = 1.06) using the Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale, the RESE Scale, and the Adolescent Self-Harm Scale.RESULTS: There were four latent profiles of RESE among Chinese left-behind children, namely low negative-dominant profile (10.8%), moderate balanced profile (17.8%), moderately high positive-dominant profile (31.5%), and high positive-dominant profile (39.8%). Grade level and left-behind type significantly predicted latent profile membership. The latent profiles of RESE moderated the association between peer victimization and NSSI. That is, in the low negative-dominant profile, the moderate balanced profile, and the moderately high positive-dominant profile, peer victimization significantly and positively predicted NSSI. The effect was strongest in the low negative-dominant profile, followed by the moderate balanced profile, and weakest in the moderately high positive-dominant profile. However, in the high positive-dominant profile, peer victimization did not significantly predict NSSI.CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggested significant individual differences in RESE among Chinese left-behind children. Educators may broaden the focus of interventions for NSSI among left-behind children from solely reducing peer victimization to enhancing RESE, while implementing stratified intervention approaches and targeted screening mechanisms in practice.SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40359-026-04544-z.