Peer Influence and Nonsuicidal Self Injury: Longitudinal Results in Community and Clinically-Referred Adolescent Samples

Abstract

Research suggests that adolescents' engagement in nonsuicidal self-injurious (NSSI) behaviors may be increasing over time, yet little is known regarding distal longitudinal factors that may promote engagement in these behaviors. Data from two longitudinal studies are presented to examine whether NSSI may be associated with peer influence processes. Study 1 included 377 adolescents from a community-based sample; Study 2 included 140 clinically-referred adolescents recruited from a psychiatric inpatient facility. In Study 1, adolescents' NSSI was examined at baseline and one year later. Adolescents' nominated best friend reported their own levels of NSSI. In Study 2, adolescents' NSSI was examined at baseline as well as 9 and 18-months post-baseline. Adolescents' perceptions of their friends' engagement in self-injurious behavior (including suicidality) and depressed mood also were examined at all three time points. Baseline depressive symptoms were measured in both studies; gender and age were examined as moderators of peer influence effects. Results from both studies supported longitudinal peer socialization effects of friends' self-injurious behavior on adolescents' own NSSI for girls, but not for boys, even after controlling for depressive symptoms as a predictor. Study 1 suggested socialization effects mostly for younger youth. Results from Study 2 also suggested longitudinal socialization effects, as well as peer selection effects; adolescents' NSSI was associated with increasing perceptions of their friends' engagement in depressive/self-injurious thoughts and behavior. Findings contribute to the nascent literature on longitudinal predictors of NSSI and to work on peer influence.

Advancing a Biopsychosocial and Contextual Model of Sleep in Adolescence: A Review and Introduction to the Special Issue

“…Other studies are needed to replicate this finding. There is likewise a need for future studies in this area to also consider other important factors such as family functioning (Wilkinson et al 2011) and peer influences (Prinstein et al 2010) to more fully determine whether sleep problems have a unique effect on adolescents' NSSI, suicidal ideation, and suicidal behaviors.…”

Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Swedish Adolescents : Prevalence, Characteristics, Functions and Associations With Childhood Adversities

“…In the light of recent recognition of peer influence in adolescent NSSI (Prinstein, Guerry, Browne, & Rancourt, 2009;Prinstein et al, 2010), a separate peer identification factor is an interesting finding. Mounting evidence suggests that adolescent NSSI is a behavior susceptible to peer influence, particularly among vulnerable individuals (Jarvi et al, 2013).…”

“…Studies on community samples of adolescents have shown that adolescents' NSSI could be predicted by their best friend's NSSI, even when the effects of depressive symptoms were controlled for . The results in the study by Prinstein et al (2010) suggested that socialization effects were most common among girls and younger adolescents. further showed that more than 82% of psychiatric inpatient adolescents reported having a close friend who also engaged in similar behaviors.…”

“…Internationally, prevalence rates of NSSI in community samples of adolescents usually range somewhere between 13-25% around the world (Baetens et al, 2011;Brunner et al, 2007;Brunner et al, 2014;Guan et al, 2012;Hankin & Abela, 2011;Jacobson & Gould, 2007;Laye-Gindhu & Schonert-Reichl, 2005;Martin, Swannell, Hazell, Harrison, & Taylor, 2010;Muehlenkamp & Gutierrez, 2004;Muehlenkamp, Williams, Gutierrez, & Claes, 2009;Nixon, Cloutier, & Jansson, 2008;Plener, Libal, Keller, et al, 2009;Plener et al, 2013;Tolmunen et al, 2008;You, Leung, Fu, & Lai, 2011;Zoroglu et al, 2003). However, both higher (Cerutti, Manca, Presaghi, & Gratz, 2011;Lloyd-Richardson et al, 2007;Lundh, Karim, & Quilisch, 2007;Yates, Carlson, & Egeland, 2008) and lower (Hilt, Nock, Lloyd-Richardson, & Prinstein, 2008;Patton et al, 2007;Prinstein et al, 2010) estimates have also been found, the latter sometimes due to younger samples.…”

“…A further challenge is the aspect of social contagion that has been reported for NSSI (Jarvi, Jackson, Swenson, & Crawford, 2013), for example peer socialization effects (Deliberto & Nock, 2008;Prinstein et al, 2010), to which adolescents probably are especially susceptible. The Internet is a natural part of life for most adolescents and offers plenty of information about NSSI (Lewis et al, 2011;Lewis et al, 2012;Purington & Whitlock, 2010).…”