No abstract

Deliberate self-harm (DSH) is a widespread transdiagnostic health problem with increasing prevalence among adolescences, and young adults. It is therefore essential to effectively chart the epidemiology of DSH, as well as to assess the efficacy of interventions designed to modify this behavior. The aim was to translate and analyze the psychometric properties of the Norwegian versions of two instruments designed to assess DSH: the Deliberate Self-harm Inventory (DSHI) and the Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury (ISAS), as well as to assess the prevalence of DSH within a nonclinical Norwegian adult population. Of the 402 participants who completed a questionnaire packet comprising the DSHI, ISAS, general questions about DSH, and other related measures, 30.6% reported some form of DSH. Those with a history of DSH reported greater difficulties with emotion regulation than those without. Participants with and without a history of DSH did not differ in unrelated constructs, including social desirability. The frequency of specific DSH behaviors was in accordance with previous research, with cutting being the most frequent. The factor structure of DSH functions in the Norwegian ISAS was generally comparable to the factor structure of the English version. Overall, results indicate that: a) the Norwegian versions of the DSHI and ISAS behave as expected and in accordance with prior research in other languages and other populations, and b) both the DSHI and ISAS have high internal consistency and adequate construct, convergent, and discriminant validity, and may be applied to evaluate DSH in adult Norwegian populations.

This study aims to investigate the prevalence of deliberate self-harm and its relationships to childhood and recent trauma and different patterns of dissociative features. A total of 100 male and 100 female college students were administered a 58-item questionnaire designed to detect the extent of dissociation, deliberate self-harm, and trauma history. Participants with deliberate self-harm behaviors reported more traumatic experiences and dissociative features than participants without such behaviors. Furthermore, the prevalence of deliberate self-harm (i.e., 40.5%) was similar to previous studies on college student populations. However, and contrary to earlier research, deliberate self-harm was significantly more prevalent among men (48%) than women (33%). The findings support the notion that trauma, pathological dissociation, and depersonalization/derealization play important functional roles in self-harm behaviors. From this perspective, it is feasible to understand individuals who engage in self-harm as either escaping from uncomfortable dissociative states or experiencing an infra-psychological conflict in which one dissociative part of the self is being abusive toward another.

A total of 14 women meeting criteria for dissociative identity disorder (DID) based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed. [DSM-IV]) were compared to a group of women (n = 10) with other dissociative diagnoses and a group of normal controls (n = 14) with regard to dissociativity, absorption, trauma related symptoms and hypnotizability. Both of the clinical groups reported histories of childhood trauma and attained high PTSD scores. The DID group differed significantly from the group with other dissociative diagnoses and the non-diagnosed comparison group with regard to hypnotizability, the variety of dissociative symptomatology, and the magnitude of dissociative symptomatology. However, no significant differences between the two clinical groups were detected with regard to absorption, general dissociative level, or symptoms related to traumatic stress. Results support the notion that DID can be regarded as a clinical entity which is separable from other dissociative disorders. Results also indicated that hypnotizability is the most important clinical feature of DID.

Factors affecting dropout from residential treatment for patients with substance use disorders. A case study with emphasis on both patient and clinician perspectives