Do parenting styles influence self-harm behaviors in adolescents?

While parenting styles have been reported as factors influencing self-harm behaviors in adolescents, limited research has explored the differential impact of specific parenting styles on adolescent self-harm. This study aims to classify parenting styles and examine how these classifications relate to differences in self-harm experiences. Using data from the 2021 Mental Health Survey of Adolescents conducted by the Korea Youth Policy Institute, a total of 3940 students, including middle school students aged 12–14 (n = 1959) and high school students aged 15–17 (n = 1982), were analyzed. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was performed to classify parenting styles, and Logistic regression analysis was conducted to verify the relationship between parenting styles and self-harm. The proportion of participants who had experienced self-harm was 24.9 %, with self-harm rates being higher among middle school students compared to high school students. However, gender and household economic status were not related to self-harm. Parenting styles were classified into three types based on factors of positive parenting (warmth, autonomy support, structure provision) and negative parenting (rejection, coercion, inconsistency): ‘Positive Parenting Group,’ ‘Average Parenting Group,’ and ‘Negative Parenting Group.’ The Positive Parenting Group was found to reduce the risk of self-harm, whereas the Negative Parenting Group was found to increase the risk of self-harm. The parenting styles perceived by adolescents significantly affected their self-harm experiences according to the three identified types. The study suggests intervention strategies to promote positive parenting styles as a means to prevent and effectively address adolescent self-harm.