Variety of Self-Injury: Is the Number of Different Methods of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Related to Personality, Psychopathology, or Functions of Self-Injury?

Abstract

This study explored the association between number of methods of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) and personality, psychopathology, and functions of NSSI. Two combined undergraduate samples reporting a history of NSSI (n = 149) completed measures of personality, psychopathology, and NSSI. A series of regression analyses indicated that Conscientiousness, Openness, and two functions of NSSI (i.e., Automatic Negative Reinforcement and Social Negative Reinforcement) shared significant relationships with the number of NSSI methods participants engaged in. These findings demonstrate that, after accounting for NSSI frequency, a relationship exists among specific personality factors, NSSI functions, and engagement in additional methods of NSSI.

Big Five personality traits in the occurrence and repetition of nonsuicidal self-injury among adolescents: The mediating effects of depressive symptoms

“…Additionally, we found that NSSI frequency was positively correlated with neuroticism and depression and negatively correlated with extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness. These findings were also consistent with those of earlier studies (Claes et al, 2014;Goldstein et al, 2009;Hasking et al, 2010;Robertson et al, 2013;Topić et al, 2012).…”

“…Research showed that NSSI frequency was positively associated with neuroticism (some studies examined negative affectivity and emotional instability, which are similar constructs as neuroticism; Claes et al, 2014;Goldstein, Flett, Wekerle, & Wall, 2009;Topić, Kovačević, & Mlačić, 2012), and negatively associated with extraversion (Hasking et al, 2010;Topić et al, 2012), agreeableness (Hasking et al, 2010;Robertson, Miskey, Mitchell, & Nelson-Gray, 2013), and conscientiousness (Hasking et al, 2010;Topić et al, 2012). Additionally, one study reported a positive correlation between openness and NSSI (Goldstein et al, 2009), one study reported a negative correlation (Hasking et al, 2010), and the others reviewed above reported a non-significant correlation between openness and NSSI.…”

“…The first limitation lies in the sample. Many studies used college student samples (Brown, 2009;Goldstein et al, 2009;MacLaren & Best, 2010;Robertson et al, 2013) and some used psychiatric patients (Claes et al, 2004;Claes et al, 2014;Williams & Hassanyeh, 1983). Since NSSI usually begins in adolescence (Jacobson & Gould, 2007) and personality traits also stabilizes during this period (Roberts, Caspi, & Moffitt, 2001), studies should use community adolescent samples in order to better understand the role of personality traits in the development of NSSI.…”

Why alternative teenagers self-harm: exploring the link between non-suicidal self-injury, attempted suicide and adolescent identity

“…an introverted, neurotic, impulsive, risk-taker with nonconformist tendencies [7] features several known personality risk factors for NSSI [54]. For example, openness to experience (nonconformity) predisposes individuals to experiment with different coping strategies, including self-injury [55]. High levels of neuroticism are also linked to NSSI [56,57].…”

O desempenho executivo em pacientes que apresentam automutilação

“…Entretanto, no presente estudo, houve predomínio do sexo feminino, o que é corroborado por outros estudos que verificaram maior prevalência de automutilação entre as mulheres Lader, 1998;Heath, 2002;Catledge et al, 2012 Constatou-se que o comportamento de automutilação apareceu pela primeira vez durante a adolescência, o que é corroborado por outros estudos (Hawton et al, 2002;Klonsky, 2009;Robertson et al, 2013;Whitlock et al, 2014). Ressalta-se que a adolescência é uma fase crucial para o desenvolvimento emocional, de habilidades de interação social e maturação do cérebro (Paus, 2005;Giedd;Schmithorst, 2010).…”