Non-Suicidal Self-Injury among Turkish Young Adults: An Investigation of Intrapersonal Factors

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) includes the actions of individuals that inflict intentional harm to bodily tissues without intent of ending one’s life. NSSI is especially frequent among young individuals and may predict future suicidal acts. Although scholarly attention on NSSI has increased, it rem...

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Main Authors: Ezgi Tuna, Tülin Gençöz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Istanbul University Press 2024-08-01
Series:Psikoloji Çalışmaları
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Online Access:https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/7464F589B93D4888A018C5D472803883
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author Ezgi Tuna
Tülin Gençöz
author_facet Ezgi Tuna
Tülin Gençöz
author_sort Ezgi Tuna
collection DOAJ
description Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) includes the actions of individuals that inflict intentional harm to bodily tissues without intent of ending one’s life. NSSI is especially frequent among young individuals and may predict future suicidal acts. Although scholarly attention on NSSI has increased, it remains a poorly understood and complex condition. Furthermore, NSSI among nonwestern populations is under-examined. According to the benefits and barriers model (BBM; Hooley & Franklin, 2018) of NSSI, benefits, such as self-punishment and affect improvement, play a role in the initiation of NSSI, while barriers, such as pain and a positive view of the self, play a role in its prevention. The current study uses the framework based on the BBM and explores the relative association between several psychological factors (i.e., emotion dysregulation, negative and positive affect [NA and PA, respectively], thought suppression, self-criticism, and self-compassion) and NSSI. The participants were 353 Turkish young adults (NSSI group: n = 158; no-NSSI group: n = 195) who completed online questionnaires. The results indicated that NSSI was common and repetitive in the sample. The most prevalent NSSI behavior was impeding wound healing. Among the study variables, high levels of nonacceptance of emotional reaction and self-criticism and decreased levels of self-compassion were related to NSSI. PA, NA, thought suppression, and the remaining five dimensions of emotion regulation problems were nonsignificantly linked to NSSI when considering all factors. The results indicate that NSSI is a complex phenomenon associated with various psychological factors, which may require prevention and intervention programs that target multiple aspects. Based on these findings, improving emotion regulation and self-compassion and decreasing self-criticism may be intervention targets for this population.
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spelling doaj-art-3d70644e694548e4adf623313e4e777e2025-08-20T02:26:59ZengIstanbul University PressPsikoloji Çalışmaları2602-29822024-08-0144217920210.26650/SP2022-1098668123456Non-Suicidal Self-Injury among Turkish Young Adults: An Investigation of Intrapersonal FactorsEzgi Tuna0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9611-4501Tülin Gençöz1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2827-7461İzmir Ekonomi Üniversitesi, Izmir, TurkiyeOrta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Ankara, TurkiyeNonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) includes the actions of individuals that inflict intentional harm to bodily tissues without intent of ending one’s life. NSSI is especially frequent among young individuals and may predict future suicidal acts. Although scholarly attention on NSSI has increased, it remains a poorly understood and complex condition. Furthermore, NSSI among nonwestern populations is under-examined. According to the benefits and barriers model (BBM; Hooley & Franklin, 2018) of NSSI, benefits, such as self-punishment and affect improvement, play a role in the initiation of NSSI, while barriers, such as pain and a positive view of the self, play a role in its prevention. The current study uses the framework based on the BBM and explores the relative association between several psychological factors (i.e., emotion dysregulation, negative and positive affect [NA and PA, respectively], thought suppression, self-criticism, and self-compassion) and NSSI. The participants were 353 Turkish young adults (NSSI group: n = 158; no-NSSI group: n = 195) who completed online questionnaires. The results indicated that NSSI was common and repetitive in the sample. The most prevalent NSSI behavior was impeding wound healing. Among the study variables, high levels of nonacceptance of emotional reaction and self-criticism and decreased levels of self-compassion were related to NSSI. PA, NA, thought suppression, and the remaining five dimensions of emotion regulation problems were nonsignificantly linked to NSSI when considering all factors. The results indicate that NSSI is a complex phenomenon associated with various psychological factors, which may require prevention and intervention programs that target multiple aspects. Based on these findings, improving emotion regulation and self-compassion and decreasing self-criticism may be intervention targets for this population.https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/7464F589B93D4888A018C5D472803883nonsuicidal self-injuryemotion dysregulationself-criticismself-compassion
spellingShingle Ezgi Tuna
Tülin Gençöz
Non-Suicidal Self-Injury among Turkish Young Adults: An Investigation of Intrapersonal Factors
Psikoloji Çalışmaları
nonsuicidal self-injury
emotion dysregulation
self-criticism
self-compassion
title Non-Suicidal Self-Injury among Turkish Young Adults: An Investigation of Intrapersonal Factors
title_full Non-Suicidal Self-Injury among Turkish Young Adults: An Investigation of Intrapersonal Factors
title_fullStr Non-Suicidal Self-Injury among Turkish Young Adults: An Investigation of Intrapersonal Factors
title_full_unstemmed Non-Suicidal Self-Injury among Turkish Young Adults: An Investigation of Intrapersonal Factors
title_short Non-Suicidal Self-Injury among Turkish Young Adults: An Investigation of Intrapersonal Factors
title_sort non suicidal self injury among turkish young adults an investigation of intrapersonal factors
topic nonsuicidal self-injury
emotion dysregulation
self-criticism
self-compassion
url https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/7464F589B93D4888A018C5D472803883
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AT tulingencoz nonsuicidalselfinjuryamongturkishyoungadultsaninvestigationofintrapersonalfactors