Feeling better or worse? The lived experience of non-suicidal self-injury among Malaysian University students

ABSTRACT

This article explores subjective experiences related to non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) through a qualitative analysis of interviews with 7 Malaysian university students who had recently engaged in NSSI. Participants discussed their feelings, motivations, and experiences related to self-injury in one-on-one, semi-structured interviews. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to identify shared themes across participants’ accounts of their involvement with non-suicidal self-injury. Four major themes were identified: (a) Emotion dysregulation, (b) NSSI as emotion regulation strategy, (c) Negative self-perceptions, and (d) Struggling with the adverse consequences of self-injury. Implications of these findings for the support and treatment of those engaging in non-suicidal self-injury are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Self-injury
• emotion regulation
• interpretative phenomenological analysis
• NSSI
• Malaysia

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR) at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) [No. SR171009];

Notes on contributors

Su Chen Tan

Dr. Su Chen Tan is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. Her research focuses on Non-Suicidal Self-Injury and related interventions. 

Cai Lian Tam

Cai Lian Tam is the director of the Master of Professional Counselling program at Monash University in Malaysia. 

Gregory Bonn

Gregory Bonn is a cultural psychologist who has worked in Canada, Malaysia, Japan and Saudi Arabia. His research relates to culture, identity and mental health.