Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Subtypes of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Based on Childhood Adversity

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Psychiatric Quarterly Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the latent clusters in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) based on childhood adversity. Data were derived from Waves I (2001–2002) and II (2004–2005) of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. Individuals engaging in NSSI (N = 672) comprised the analytic sample. Latent class statistical analysis was undertaken to elucidate the latent structure of NSSI based on child experiences of physical and sexual abuse, neglect, and family violence. Four-classes of respondents were identified vis-à-vis childhood adversities. A low abuse/neglect class (35.7 % of respondents, 91.1 % male) demonstrated less mental health and substance use comorbidity and antisocial behavior. A sexual abuse class (43.1 % of respondents, 98.6 % female) evinced somewhat lower levels of antisocial behavior than the other classes but similarly high levels of mental health disorder and a non-sexual abuse/neglect class (8.3 % of respondents, 91.5 % male) characterized by varied and intensive forms of antisocial and externalizing behaviors. Finally, a severe high abuse/neglect/family violence class (12.95 % of respondents, 100 % female) demonstrated high levels of clinical psychiatric and personality disorders. The current project is a nationally representative study of NSSI latent clusters and extends and validates the existence of NSSI subtypes revealed by prior research.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Gratz KL: Measurement of deliberate self-harm: Preliminary data on the deliberate self-harm inventory. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment 23:253–263, 2001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Vaughn MG et al.: Deliberate self-harm and the Nexus of violence, victimization, and Mental Health Problems in the United States. Psychiatry Research, 2014. under review.

  3. Haw C, et al.: Psychiatric and personality disorders in deliberate self-harm patients. The British Journal of Psychiatry 178:48–54, 2001.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Klonsky ED, Oltmanns TF, Turkheimer E: Deliberate self-harm in a nonclinical population: Prevalence and psychological correlates. American Journal of Psychiatry 160:1501–1508, 2003.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Nock MK, et al.: Non-suicidal Self-injury among Adolescents: Diagnostic correlates and relation to suicide attempts. Psychiatry Research 144:65–72, 2006.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Klonsky ED, Non-suicidal Self-injury in United States Adults: Prevalence, sociodemographics, topography and functions. Psychological Medicine 41:1981–1986, 2011.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Plener PL, et al.: An international comparison of adolescent non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicide attempts: Germany and the USA. Psychological Medicine 39:1549–1558, 2009.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Whitlock JL, Eckenrode, JE, Silverman, D: Self-injurious behavior in a College Population. Pediatrics 117(6):1939–1948, 2006.

  9. Zetterqvist M, et al.: Prevalence and function of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) in a community sample of adolescents, using suggested DSM-5 criteria for a potential NSSI disorder. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 41:759–773, 2013.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Lloyd-Richardson E: Adolescent Nonsuicidal Self-Injury: Who is doing it and why? Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics 29(3):216–218, 2008.

  11. Andover MS, et al.: An examination of non-suicidal self-injury in men: Do men differ from women in basic nssi characteristics? Archives of Suicide Research 14(1):79–88, 2010.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Selby EA, et al.: Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) disorder: A preliminary study. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment 3(2):167–175, 2012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Prinstein MJ, et al.: Peer influence and nonsuicidal self injury: Longitudinal results in community and clinically-referred adolescent samples. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 38(5):669–682, 2010.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Wilcox HC, et al.: Longitudinal predictors of past-year non-suicidal self-injury and motives among College Students. Psychological Medicine 42(4):717–726, 2012.

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Klonsky ED, Olino TM: Identifying clinically distinct subgroups of self-injurers among young adults: A latent class analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 76:22–27, 2008.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Baetens I, et al.: The relationship between non-suicidal self-injury and temperament in male and female adolescents based on child- and parent-report. Personality and Individual Differences 50(4):527–530, 2011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Weismoore JT, Esposito-Smythers, C: The role of cognitive distortion in the relationship between abuse, assault, and non-suicidal self-injury. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 39(3):281–290, 2010.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Yates TM: Developmental pathways from child maltreatment to nonsuicidal self-injury. In: Nock MK (Ed) Understanding nonsuicidal self-injury: Origins, assessment, and treatment. American Psychological Association, Washington DC, 2009.

  19. Zetterqvist M, Lundh L-G, Svedin CG: A comparison of adolescents engaging in self-injurious behaviors with and without suicidal intent: Self-reported experiences of adverse life events and trauma symptoms. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 42(8):1257–1272, 2012.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. van der Kolk BA, Perry CJ, Herman JL: Childhood origins of self-destructive behavior. American Journal of Psychiatry 148(12):1665–1671, 1991.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Kaess M, et al.: Adverse childhood experiences and their impact on frequency, severity, and the individual function of nonsuicidal self-injury in youth. Psychiatry Research 206:265–272, 2012.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Evren C, Evren B: Self-mutilation in substance-dependent patients and relationship with childhood abuse and neglect, alexithymia and temperament and character dimensions of personality. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 80(1):15–22, 2005.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Tyler KA, et al.: Self-mutilation and homeless youth: The role of family abuse, street experiences, and mental disorders. Journal of Research on Adolescence 13(4):457–474, 2003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Swannell S, et al.: Child maltreatment, subsequent non-suicidal self-injury and the mediating roles of dissociation, alexithymia and self-blame. Child Abuse and Neglect 36(7–8):572–584, 2012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Muehlenkamp JJ, et al.: Abuse subtypes and nonsuicidal self-injury: Preliminary evidence of complex emotion regulation patterns. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 198(4):258–263, 2010.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Hamza CA, Willoughby T: A longitudinal person-centered examination of nonsuicidal self-injury among university students. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 43:671–685, 2013.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Vaughn MG, et al.: The severe 5%: A latent class analysis of the externalizing spectrum in the United States. Journal of Criminal Justice 39:75–80, 2011.

  28. Grant BF, et al.: The alcohol use disorder and associated disabilities interview schedule-IV (AUDADIS-IV): Reliability of alcohol consumption, tobacco use, family history of depression and psychiatric diagnostic modules in a general population sample. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 71:7–16, 2003.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. McLachlan G, Peel D: Finite Mixture Models. New York, Wiley, 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Vermunt JK, Magidson J: LG-Syntax User’s Guide: Manual for Latent GOLD 4.5 Syntax Module. Belmont, MA, Statistical Innovations, Inc., 2008.

  31. StataCorp, Stata Statistical Software: Release 13. College Station TX, StataCorp LP, 2013.

  32. Whitlock JL, Muehlenkamp J, Eckenrode J: Variation in nonsuicidal self-injury: Identification and features of latent classes in a college population of emerging adults. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology 37(4):725–735, 2008.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported in part by Grant Number R25 DA026401 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health.

Conflict of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, Tegeler Hall, 3550 Lindell Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63103, USA

    Michael G. Vaughn, Sarah Underwood & Tatiana Gochez-Kerr

  2. School of Social Work, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Christopher P. Salas-Wright

Authors
  1. Michael G. Vaughn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Christopher P. Salas-Wright
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sarah Underwood
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Tatiana Gochez-Kerr
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael G. Vaughn.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Vaughn, M.G., Salas-Wright, C.P., Underwood, S. et al. Subtypes of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Based on Childhood Adversity. Psychiatr Q 86, 137–151 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-014-9313-7

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-014-9313-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation