title: Is being overweight associated with engagement in self-injurious behaviours in adolescence, or do psychological factors have more "weight"?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of non-suicidal self-injurious behaviours (NSSI) among healthy weight and overweight adolescents and to examine the role of age, gender, weight status, treatment condition for weight control, and psychological variables (psychopathological symptoms and emotional skills) in the prediction of NSSI.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study had a cross-sectional design, and participants (n = 370) were aged 14-19 years and were divided in three groups: 205 adolescents with normal weight, 82 adolescents from the community with overweight/obesity, and 83 adolescents with overweight/obesity and in outpatient treatment for weight control.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of these behaviours in the overweight community group (25.6 %) and in the overweight clinical group (14.5 %) was similar to their healthy weight peers (19 %). Not attending an outpatient treatment for weight control, higher psychopathology and less ability to regulate emotions predict the presence of NSSI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Being overweight is not associated with NSSI, but psychosocial variables such as psychopathology, emotional deregulation and the absence of medical care predict these behaviours.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, 4710, Braga, Portugal. martafreitasrosa@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1248-1115
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Freitas-Rosa
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, 4710, Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Sónia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.affiliation: Pediatric, Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Unit of Braga´s Hospital, Braga, Portugal.|Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.|ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Henedina
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Antunes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001835:Body Weight; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D050177:Overweight / Q000523:psychology*; D010379:Peer Group; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adolescence; Emotion; Overweight; Psychopathology; Self-injurious