A Brief Report on Predicting Self-Harm: Is It Gender or Abuse that Matters?

Abstract

Self-harm, which consists of nonsuicidal self-injury and attempted suicide, is a public health problem that is not well understood. There is conflicting evidence on the role of gender in predicting self-harm. Abuse history also is a potentially relevant factor to explore, as it is related to both gender and self-harm. In this study, we hypothesized that abuse history, as opposed to gender, would predict self-harm. Three hundred and ninety-seven undergraduates completed a self-report survey that assessed abuse history, nonsuicidal self-injury, and attempted suicide. The results suggested that abuse history predicted nonsuicidal self-injury and attempted suicide. These findings can inform clinical interventions as they reinforce the importance of including abuse history in the conceptualizations and treatment of self-harm.

KEYWORDS:

• abuse
• attempted suicide
• cumulative trauma
• gender
• nonsuicidal self-injury
• self-harm
• self-injury
• suicidality

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank Pamela Birrell, John Becker-Blease, and Erik L. Knight for comments on previous drafts of this article.