TY - JOUR
PY - 2022//
TI - Predictors of self-harm types in members of online communities: age as a moderating variable
JO - Consortium Psychiatricum
A1 - Razvaliaeva, Anna
A1 - Polskaya, Natalia
SP - 38
EP - 51
VL - 3
IS - 4
N2 - BACKGROUND: Deliberate self-harm includes direct and indirect behaviors that cause harm to the body. Various manifestations of such behavior (e.g., non-suicidal self-injuries) are prevalent in adolescent and youth populations, and they often serve as precursors of subsequent suicidal behavior. The interpersonal dynamics that lead to self-harm behavior remain understudied. Interpersonal sensitivity, defined as an anticipation of criticism and fear of rejection in one's relationships with other people, may become one such factor.
AIM: The present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between interpersonal sensitivity, psychopathological symptoms, and types of self-harm.
METHODS: The sample (n=804, 17-35 years, M=23.3±4.6 years) was recruited in online communities. A survey developed by the authors was used to measure the types of self-harm. Other measures included the Interpersonal Sensitivity Measure and Symptom Checklist-90-R.
RESULTS: It was discovered that superficial self-injuries could be related to more severe types of self-harm, destructive for the body on the whole (e.g., risk-taking, deprivation, fasting, substance abuse). Fear of rejection and psychopathological symptoms emerged as predictors of both superficial self-injuries and self-destructive behavior. Although younger respondents (17-19 years old) were more likely to inflict on themselves superficial self-injuries, those who scored high on fear of rejection were more likely to report more severe self-destructive behavior. Acute psychological distress elevated this risk for both younger and older participants (27-35 years old).
CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study point at the important role the dynamics of interpersonal relationships plays in perpetuating self-harm.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 2712-7672 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.17816/CP216 ID - ref1 ER -