Emotion and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury

Abstract

Two phases of research used qualitative and quantitative methodology to replicate and extend prior research designed to examine triggers, functions, and predictors of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). Phase 1 involved 325 self-harming participants (230 females; M = 21.68 years) and addressed two aims. The first was to identify the triggers and functions of NSSI. It was hypothesised that aversive interpersonal events would be the most common situational triggers of NSSI, and that the most common emotional trigger would be negative affect associated with high physiological arousal. It was also predicted that down-regulation of negative affect would be the most common function of NSSI, and that some participants would report using NSSI to suppress the expression of emotion. Participants endorsed affective triggers and functions of NSSI on checklists designed for the current study, and provided descriptions of their own self-harm episodes. As predicted, aversive interpersonal events were the most common situational triggers of NSSI, down-regulation of negative affect was the most common function, and an expressive suppression function also emerged. However, the hypothesis regarding affective triggers was not supported: The affective trigger most frequently nominated in NSSI descriptions was negative self-appraisal; and, on the checklist of affective triggers, participants endorsed low-arousal negative feelings as triggers as frequently as high-arousal negative feelings. Interestingly, a substantial minority (42.5%) of participants also indicated that they had at least occasionally self-harmed in response to positive emotions.