Mineo, C. M., Oppo, A., Giacconi, D., Saccenti, D., La Marra, M., & Sapuppo, W. (2026). Prevalence and Co-occurrence of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) in Anorexia Nervosa: A Systematic Review.
Italian Journal of Eating Disorders and Obesity, 8, 31–42.
Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) in individuals with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and to compare co-occurrence rates between the restricting (AN-R) and binge-purge (AN-BP) diagnostic subtypes.
Methods: A literature search, studies selection and data extraction were performed by authors, and data was summarized using a narrative and statistical approach.
Results: Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this study. The occurrence of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in a population of patients with Anorexia Nervosa ranged between 14.1% and 62.9%. Inpatients showed higher comorbidity rates than outpatients (IN: 14.1%-50.3%; OUT: 14.6%-17.9%). Where Odds Ratios could be calculated, with the exception of one study, patients with binge-purging subtype of Anorexia showed a likelihood of having Non-suicidal Self-Injury between almost two and seven times higher than those who presented the restrictive subtype of Anorexia Nervosa.
Discussion: Although this review showed high co-occurrence between Non-Suicidal Self-Injury and Anorexia Nervosa, there is a broad variability among the results retrieved from different studies, due to differences in sampling and in Non-Suicidal Self-Injury assessment tools. Clinical implications of the association between these factors and insights about possible future research are discussed throughout the whole text.