Association between Emotion Dysregulation and Distinct Groups of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Taiwanese Female Adolescents

Abstract

Background: Previous studies revealed that female adolescents are more likely than males to engage in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) to regulate negative emotions; however, the dimensions of emotion regulation that are associated with NSSI behavior in adolescents require further examination. The present study aimed to identify Taiwanese female adolescent clusters with NSSI engagement frequency and to evaluate the association of specific forms of emotion dysregulation with NSSI. Methods: The participants were 438 female adolescents (mean age = 15.23 years, SD = 1.24, range between 13 and 18) recruited from 11 high schools. Self-report questionnaires assessing NSSI, difficulties in emotion regulation, and positive and negative affect were administered, and 37% of respondents reported a history of NSSI. Results: The analysis of NSSI frequency yielded three groups: severe, moderate, and non-NSSI. High negative affect, low positive affect, and difficulties in all aspects of emotion regulation differentiated female adolescents in the severe NSSI group from their counterparts in the non-NSSI group. The moderate and severe NSSI groups were further distinguished by age of onset, negative affect, emotion regulation strategies, and impulse control. Adolescents classified in the severe group reported earlier onset of NSSI, higher negative affect, less emotion regulation strategies, and more difficulty with impulse control. Conclusions: The results indicate that assessments of NSSI and emotion regulation should be incorporated in youth mental health screening. The clinical implications of NSSI behavior intervention require further discussion.

Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Version of the Functional Assessment of Self-Mutilation (FASM) in Chinese Clinical Adolescents

“…A higher total score of the DSHI indicates that an individual has engaged in a greater variety of NSSI with higher frequency. This scale demonstrated good psychometric properties among Chinese children (20,21). In the present study, the Cronbach's α was 0.80, showing acceptable internal consistency.…”

Viewing Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Adolescence Through a Developmental Neuroscience Lens: The Impact of Neural Sensitivity to Socioaffective Pain and Reward

“…et al, 2014). Individual differences in temperament also increase risk for NSSI, such as the tendency to act impulsively or engage in risky behaviors when experiencing affective distress (i.e., negative urgency; Chen & Chun, 2019;Lockwood et al, 2020;You, Deng, et al, 2016) or the tendency to experience negative emotions more frequently and with greater intensity (i.e., negative affectivity; Baetens et al, 2011;Chen & Chun, 2019;Gromatsky et al, 2020;Somma et al, 2019;. Female adolescents are also at greater risk of engaging in NSSI, possibly because they report greater levels of negative affect than do male adolescents and are more likely to engage in NSSI when experiencing affective distress (Bakken & Gunter, 2012;Plener et al, 2015;Tatnell et al, 2014;Victor et al, 2018;Xavier et al, 2018).…”

Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: An Observational Study in a Sample of Adolescents and Young Adults

“…In our sample, the most involved dimensions in perpetuating NSSI were IER, EER and C. High NPI and TI scores were also found. There is evidence in the literature that self-injuring young people show significantly higher levels of non-acceptance/regulation/ understanding of emotions, both intrapersonal (escaping negative emotions, replacing mental or emotional pain with physical pain, seeking emotions to combat the feeling of anhedonia or affective flattening) and especially interpersonal (communicating malaise, seeking help and escaping difficult situations) [22,45,46]. In addition, an association seems to exist between NSSI and traumatic/stressful events such as experiences of abuse and interpersonal difficulties with peers and family [47,48].…”