EMOTION DYSREGULATION IN NON-SUICIDAL SELF-INJURY FOLLOWING POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS SYMPTOMS

Abstract

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a serious public health concern that can be understood within an emotion dysregulation framework. The current study adds to the literature by utilizing a micro-longitudinal study design and advanced statistical modeling to test the bidirectional associations between emotion dysregulation and NSSI, as well as the moderating effect of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Participants were 131 sexual assault survivors with a history of NSSI (Mage = 35.54; 65.6% female; 81.7% white) recruited from the community who self-reported on symptoms of negative and positive emotion dysregulation, NSSI, and PTSS. Findings provided valuable information on the nuanced relation between emotion dysregulation and NSSI, highlighting the impact that NSSI may have on subsequent abilities to effectively down-regulate negative emotions. Furthermore, results detected a moderating influence of increased PTSS on between-individual differences in elevated NSSI and negative emotion dysregulation, as well as within-individual increases in NSSI over time. Information from this study may be useful for future research and intervention development.