Abstract

The rise in self-harm behaviour, especially among early adolescents, is a public health concern. While existing studies have explored the link between self-harm behaviour, mental well-being, and cognitive factors, research on adolescents in Malaysia is limited. This study explored the relationship between psychological needs frustration and maladaptive schema, focusing on the disconnection/rejection domain among early adolescents in Selangor. A total of 270 students aged 13 – 14 years from a public secondary school in Selangor were involved in this study. In this study, 61.1% of the respondents reported having engaged in self-harm behaviour at least once within the past 12 months. The study found that self-harm behaviour has a significant positive relationship with psychological needs frustration (rs= .51, p < 0.05) and maladaptive schema (rs= .49, p < 0.05). Psychological needs frustration also correlated positively with maladaptive schema (rs= .80, p < 0.05). These moderately strong positive correlations between psychological needs frustration, maladaptive schemas, and self-harm behaviour suggest that early adolescents who experience unmet psychological needs are more likely to exhibit maladaptive thinking patterns which can increase the risk of self-harm behaviour. Therefore, self-harm interventions for early adolescents should include cognitive restructuring skills to address maladaptive schema and enhance mental well-being.