@article{ref1,
title="A longitudinal investigation of the relation between nonsuicidal self-injury and spirituality/religiosity",
journal="Psychiatry research",
year="2017",
author="Good, Marie and Hamza, Chloe Andrea and Willoughby, Teena",
volume="250",
number="",
pages="106-112",
abstract="Despite increased research on factors that predict engagement in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), one factor that has been neglected is spirituality/religiosity. While some researchers suggest that spiritual/religious beliefs and practice may protect against aversive mental health outcomes, it also is possible that certain aspects of spirituality/religiosity - specifically doubt and questioning - may be distressing. In this study, we examined whether multiple dimensions of spirituality/religiosity, including the often-overlooked experience of doubt/questioning, were associated with engagement in NSSI among university students over time. Participants included 1,132 (70.5% female) first-year undergraduate students (Mean age=19.06, SD=1.05) from a Canadian university who were surveyed first in their freshman year, and again one year later. Auto-regressive cross-lagged analyses revealed a bidirectional relation between doubt/questioning and NSSI, where higher doubt/questioning predicted increased NSSI over time (after controlling for baseline depressive symptoms), and vice versa. There were no longitudinal associations between general spirituality/religiosity (i.e., general beliefs/practice) and NSSI. Our findings suggest questioning and doubt may be distressing for some individuals, and predict increased risk for NSSI as a form of coping. Further, higher NSSI may predict increases in questioning/doubt over time. However, the hypothesis that general spirituality/religiosity may protect against NSSI, was not supported.<br><br>Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0165-1781",
doi="10.1016/j.psychres.2017.01.062",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.01.062"
}