A substantial number of college students reported self-injurious behaviors in their lifetimes. Many of the behaviors occurred among individuals who had never been in therapy for any reason and who only rarely disclosed their self-injurious behaviors to anyone. Single self-injurious behavior incidents were correlated with a history of abuse and comorbid adverse health conditions but less strongly than were repeat self-injurious behavior incidents. The reticence of these clients to seek help or advice renders it critical that medical and mental health providers find effective strategies for detecting and addressing self-injurious behaviors.

The 2 studies reported here use observational data from message boards to investigate how adolescents solicit and share information related to self-injurious behavior. Study 1 examines the prevalence and nature of these message boards, their users, and most commonly discussed topics. Study 2 was intended to explore the correlations between content areas raised for discussion. Both studies were intended to shed light on the role of message boards in spreading information about self-injurious practices and influencing help-seeking behavior. More than 400 self-injury message boards were identified. Most are populated by females who describe themselves as between 12 and 20 years of age. Findings show that online interactions clearly provide essential social support for otherwise isolated adolescents, but they may also normalize and encourage self-injurious behavior and add potentially lethal behaviors to the repertoire of established adolescent self-injurers and those exploring identity options.

No abstract

NSSI is common in college populations but varies significantly by sex and sexual orientation. NSSI disclosure is low among both sexes.

Prior studies of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) suggest the existence of multiple NSSI typologies. Using data from 2,101 university students, this study employed latent class analysis to investigate NSSI typologies. Results show a good fitting 3-class solution with distinct quantitative and qualitative differences. Class 1 was composed largely of women using 1 form to engage in superficial tissue damage with moderate (< 11) lifetime incidents. Class 2 was composed predominately of men using 1 to 3 forms to engage in self-battery and light tissue damage, with low (2-10) lifetime incidents. Class 3 was composed largely of women using more than 3 self-injury forms and engaging in behaviors with the potential for a high degree of tissue damage with moderate to high numbers of lifetime incidents. All 3 classes were at elevated risk for adverse conditions when compared to no-NSSI respondents. We conclude that NSSI typologies exist and may warrant differential clinical assessment and treatment.