Abstract

The online socio-relational skills have important functions for those adolescents who harm themselves (Baker e Fortune, 2008). However, it is not clear which are the mechanisms that explains this association. This study examines the role of social self-efficacy as mediator in the relation between a positive online friendship quality and self-injury behaviors among 148 Italian adolescents (61% females), aged between 15 and 19 years old (M = 16.65; SD = 1.1). The results showed the effect of social self-efficacy in mediating the relation between a positive online friendship quality and self-harm. These findings highlight that a social self-efficacy operates as factor of great importance on the way a positive online friendship decreases self-harm during adolescence.