Relationships between Non-Suicidal Self-Injury and Other Maladaptive Behaviors: Beyond Difficulties in Emotion Regulation

Abstract

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) co-occurs with both other maladaptive behaviors (e.g., aggression) and emotion dysregulation. However, the extent to which these maladaptive behaviors are linked to NSSI independent of emotion dysregulation is unclear. The present study examined relationships between NSSI and six other maladaptive behaviors among university undergraduates. When controlling for demographic variables, emotion dysregulation, and other maladaptive behaviors, binge eating, purging, illicit drug use, and physical aggression were each related to lifetime NSSI history and/or severity. No maladaptive behaviors were significantly related to the presence of current diagnostic-level NSSI in these multivariate analyses. Results suggest that some maladaptive behaviors may relate uniquely to NSSI risk independent of emotion dysregulation, highlighting the importance of considering such behaviors in self-injury assessment and treatment.

Keywords:

• Aggression
• disordered eating
• emotion dysregulation
• maladaptive behaviors
• non-suicidal self-injury
• substance use

Notes

1 The analysis of lifetime number of NSSI methods was run using both Poisson and negative binomial regressions, and both yielded the same results.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program under Grant [1144462].

Notes on contributors

Kristen M. Sorgi

Kristen M. Sorgi, Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Brooke A. Ammerman

Brooke A. Ammerman, Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.

Joey C. Cheung

Joey C. Cheung, Martha K. Fahlgren, Alexander A. Puhalla, and Michael S. McCloskey, Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Martha K. Fahlgren

Joey C. Cheung, Martha K. Fahlgren, Alexander A. Puhalla, and Michael S. McCloskey, Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Alexander A. Puhalla

Joey C. Cheung, Martha K. Fahlgren, Alexander A. Puhalla, and Michael S. McCloskey, Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Michael S. McCloskey

Joey C. Cheung, Martha K. Fahlgren, Alexander A. Puhalla, and Michael S. McCloskey, Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.