Identity, self-blame, and body regard in NSSI: A test of moderated-mediation

Body regard disrupts emotional cascade processes in nonsuicidal self‐injury

“…Furthermore, the main effect of MCR on NSSI was not significant once all the factors were included in the model, yet emotional reactivity and BR retained significant main effects. This may suggest that emotion reactivity and BR are more robust factors influencing NSSI behavior than MCR, which is consistent with some recent studies (Hatzopoulos et al, 2022;Kruzan et al, 2022).…”

“…The few studies investigating the role of BR in NSSI have yielded consistent findings, suggesting a fruitful topic for future investigation. Our findings suggest individuals who feel connected to and hold a caring, positive view of their body might be protected from engaging in self-injury not only in the context of broad emotion regulation deficits (Muehlenkamp et al, 2013) and other self-perception risk factors (Kruzan et al, 2022), but also in the context of emotional cascades. As research investigates the cognitive and emotional factors implicated in NSSI, our findings point to BR as a potential mechanism to evaluate.…”

“…Preliminary work has also examined the role of BR in buffering the effect of cognitive and emotional risk factors on NSSI. One study found BR significantly moderated the associations of poor self‐concept and self‐blaming cognitions to NSSI (Kruzan et al, 2022), and Muehlenkamp et al (2013) found emotion regulation difficulties related to NSSI frequency only among those with low BR. Collectively, these studies provide preliminary support that BR might protect against one's engagement in NSSI by weakening the risk perpetuated by the dynamic relationship of emotion reactivity and MCR strategies.…”

“…In the ECM, these maladaptive cognitive regulation (MCR) strategies are thought to interact with negative emotion in a cyclical fashion, producing a state of heightened negative arousal leading to the engagement in a dysregulated behavior to escape from emotional distress (Selby et al, 2008). Those with a history of NSSI have been found to score lower on measures of cognitive reappraisal and higher on rumination, catastrophizing, and self‐blame cognitions than peers without a history of NSSI (Kruzan et al, 2022; Wolff et al, 2019). Low cognitive reappraisal and heightened rumination have also been found to prospectively predict NSSI (Li et al, 2021; Tatnell et al, 2014).…”

Self-harm in sexually abused adolescents: The role of posttraumatic symptoms, emotional impulsivity, and negative cognition.

“…Nevertheless, the results may be more supportive of the model that self-harm is a response to negative self-perceptions or to punish oneself than the emotion regulation model that an unregulated emotional state triggers self-injury. This is consistent with studies that have identified the role of cognitive factors in NSSI (Kruzan et al, 2022; Sorgi-Wilson et al, 2023) and studies that suggest that self-blame or attribution plays a role in suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and risky behavior (Burke et al, 2021; Dyer et al, 2013; O’Neill et al, 2021).…”