Abstract. Aim: To administer two new for Bulgaria instruments for the assessment of non-suicidal self-injurious behavior in a nonclinical sample of adolescents aged 14 to 18 years from Varna, with a focus on functions, motives and predisposing factors for the behavior. Method: Participants are randomly assigned to two groups, and each participant completes one of the two instruments, used for the assessment of NSSI, ISAS or ABASI/ABUSI. The instruments are designed to determine the main method of self-harm, motives for the self-harm, behaviors immediately prior self-harming, and risk factors, leading to the self-harm. Results: From the 329 distributed questionnaires, 174 were fully completed. As the main method of self-harm, the participants indicated cutting. The majority of adolescents self-harm as a way to punish themselves. The sexual, emotional and verbal abuses are significantly correlated with the thoughts and actions of self-injury. Conclusion: From the performed assessment is evident that non-suicidal self-injury presents a problem in Bulgaria, with tendencies observed here coinciding with international literature. There are factors suggesting cultural differences in the motives and functions, which maintain non-suicidal self-injury, requiring further and future study.

Key words: non-suicidal self-injury, adolescents, functions

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