@article{ref1,
title="Emotion dysregulation as a mechanism linking child maltreatment exposure and self-harm behaviors in adolescents",
journal="Child abuse and neglect",
year="2017",
author="Peh, Chao Xu and Shahwan, Shazana and Fauziana, Restria and Mahesh, Mithila V. and Sambasivam, Rajeswari and Zhang, Yunjue and Ong, Say How and Chong, Siow Ann and Subramaniam, Mythily",
volume="67",
number="",
pages="383-390",
abstract="Although child maltreatment exposure is a recognized risk factor for self-harm, mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. Self-harm may function as a compensatory strategy to regulate distressing emotions. This cross-sectional study examines if emotion dysregulation mediates between the severity of maltreatment exposure and self-harm, adjusting for demographic variables and depressive symptoms. Participants were 108 adolescent patients recruited from a psychiatric hospital in Singapore (mean age 17.0 years, SD=1.65; 59.3% female). Study measures included the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF), Functional Assessment of Self-Mutilation (FASM), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8). Path analysis was conducted to examine the direct and indirect effects of maltreatment exposure on self-harm via emotion dysregulation, controlling for demographic variables and depressive symptoms. Indirect effects were tested using bootstrapped confidence intervals (CI). <br><br>RESULTS showed that self-harm was highly prevalent in our sample (75.9%). Emotion dysregulation and depressive symptoms were found to be associated with higher self-harm frequency. In addition, results from path analysis showed that the association between the severity of maltreatment exposure and self-harm frequency was significantly mediated by emotion dysregulation B=0.07, p<0.05, 95% CI [0.02, 0.16]. Thus, emotion dysregulation may be a proximal mechanism linking maltreatment exposure and adolescent self-harm. Notably, self-harm may represent maladaptive attempts to manage emotion dysregulation that may have resulted from maltreatment. <br><br>FINDINGS from the study have implications for the prevention and treatment of self-harm in maltreated youth.<br><br>Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0145-2134",
doi="10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.03.013",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.03.013"
}