Citation

Myntti WW, Muehlenkamp JJ. J. Clin. Psychol. (Hoboken) 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/jclp.23513

PMID

36947161

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to empirically examine the Emotional Cascade Model of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), and to examine if body regard mitigates these variables' impact on NSSI in college students. We tested a three-way interaction between emotional reactivity, maladaptive cognitive regulation strategies, and body regard predicting NSSI frequency.

METHODS: Two thousand sixty-six undergraduate students (M(age)  = 20.38; 72.4% identified as female; 91.7% White; 22.7% with NSSI) completed measures of emotion reactivity, maladaptive cognitive regulation strategies, body regard, and lifetime NSSI frequency.

RESULTS: The three-way interaction between emotion reactivity, maladaptive cognitive regulation strategies, and body regard was significant. The interaction effect of emotional reactivity and maladaptive cognitive regulation strategies on NSSI was significant when body regard was low but not significant at average and high levels of body regard. The highest NSSI frequency was reported by those high in emotion reactivity and maladaptive cognitive regulation strategies, and low in body regard.

CONCLUSION: These results support the emotional cascade theory of NSSI, and support assertions that body regard might act as a protective barrier against NSSI in the context of heightened emotion reactivity and maladaptive cognitive regulation strategies.

Language: en

Keywords

emotion regulation; rumination; self-injury; body dissatisfaction; body image; emotional cascades