Reasons for and Methods of Self-Harm: the Results of an Online Survey

Background: the subjective experience of self-harm emerges as an important source of knowledge about the motives of this behavior and as the basis for understanding the dynamics of transitioning from non-suicidal self-injuries to suicide attempts.

The objective: to describe and systematize methods and subjective reasons for self-harm on the basis of qualitative data yielded by a survey in online communities.

Participants and method: the respondents were recruited from online communities focusing on psychological or non-psychological issues. The sample (n = 664, aged 17–35) included 563 (84.4%) women and 101 (15.2%) men. The study utilized a survey developed by the authors.

Results: methods of inicting deliberate self-harm were grouped into three clusters: 1) local self-harm (n = 385) included non-suicidal self-injuries; 2) global self-harm (n = 18) united self-destructive practices aimed at the body on the whole (poisoning, deprivation, drug and alcohol abuse, etc.); 3) local and global self-harm cluster (n = 109) included respondents with both types of self-harm. Local self-harm cluster included more young participants; participants with both local and global self-harm were older and reported mental health problems more often. The analysis of reasons for self-harm yielded 9 topics: 1) emotional experiences; 2) emotion regulation; 3) pain; 4) self-alienation; 5) negative self-image; 6) interpersonal rejection; 7) suicidal tendencies; 8) self-harm urges; 9) age. The topics were closely related; the central topics were the ones related to emotional experiences and their regulation through physical pain.

Conclusion: individual developmental pathways to self-harm can be associated with intolerance of intense mental pain, inability to endure one’s own negative emotions; negative self-image and high dissatisfaction with oneself; feeling alienated from the others, perceived disregard and rejection; and psychopathological symptoms.

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