This study aims to investigate the relationships between self-criticism, rejection sensitivity, self-attack, and non-suicidal self-injury among college students, and to verify a path model to predict non-suicidal self-injury.

The participants were 239 male and female college students who had experienced self-injury. The psychological tests used in this study were the Inventory of Statement about Self-Injury, Form of Self-Criticizing/Attacking and Self-Reassurance Scale, and the Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire.

Results showed that self-criticism, rejection sensitivity, and self-attack were positively correlated with non-suicidal self-injury, and that rejection sensitivity was positively correlated with self-criticism and self-attack. A model was adopted that includes a direct path from self-criticism to non-suicidal self-injury, while self-criticism and rejection sensitivity affect non-suicidal self-injury indirectly through self-attack.

It was found that rejection sensitivity indirectly affects non-suicidal self-injury through self-attack, and self-criticism directly affects non-suicidal self-injury and indirectly affects non-suicidal self-injury through self-attack.

The purpose of this study was to explore the moderated mediating effect of self-compassion through self-blame on the relationship between mindfulness and shame.

A total of 315 college students participated in this study by completing the following questionnaires: Mindfulness Scale, Depressive Experience Questionnaire, Self-Compassion Scale, State Shame and Guilt Scale. Data were analyzed through SPSS22.0 and its macro. The main findings were as follows.

First, the result of bootstrapping indicated that self-criticism partially mediated the relationship between mindfulness and shame. Second, hierarchical regression and slope analyses revealed the moderating effect of self-compassion on the relationship between self-criticism and shame. Finally, the results indicated that self-compassion moderated the mediating effect of mindfulness on shame through self-criticism.

Contributions of this study to an integrative understanding of the process of self-compassion was considered useful for future therapeutic intervention. Limitation and suggestions was also discussed.