Despite the widespread prevalence of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) among community-based samples, little is known about which self-injurers disclose their NSSI or the factors that promote disclosure among self-injurers. To address this gap in the literature, we examined whether disclosers could be differentiated from nondisclosers on the basis of NSSI characteristics (e.g. frequency of NSSI and severity of NSSI), NSSI motivations (e.g. interpersonal and intrapersonal motivations) and psychosocial factors (e.g. suicidal ideation and self-esteem). Participants consisted of a large sample of 268 self-injuring undergraduate students (M age = 19.07 years, 70.3% women) at a Canadian university. Results indicated that 57% of self-injurers had never disclosed their NSSI to anyone. Selfinjurers were most likely to disclose to peers and romantic partners. Logistic regression analyses revealed that pain during NSSI, severity of NSSI, interpersonal motivations for engaging in NSSI, higher suicidal ideation and higher friendship quality were all associated with a greater likelihood of NSSI disclosure. Our findings suggest that individuals with severe NSSI and suicidal ideation may be more likely to disclose. Moreover, our findings underscore the importance of equipping friends and romantic partners with effective responses to NSSI disclosures to promote more formal help-seeking behaviours among self-injurers.

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), which refers to self-directed destruction of bodily tissue in the absence of suicidal intent (e.g., cutting, carving, burning) is a widespread health concern. Recent research suggests that individuals who engage in NSSI have heightened tolerances for pain relative to noninjurers, but little attention has been given to how self-injurers overcome the pain involved in self-directed injury. Understanding the process through which self-injurers tolerate pain, however, may have important implications for prevention and intervention efforts, as heightened tolerance for pain has been associated with increased suicidal risk. In the present study, we addressed this gap in the literature by examining whether self-punishment motivations for engaging in NSSI were associated with increased pain thresholds and tolerances among 82 undergraduate students (i.e., 31 self-injurers with self-punishment motivations, 25 self-injurers without self-punishment motivations, 26 age-matched controls). Following a stressful task, self-injurers who engaged in NSSI to self-punish tolerated pain significantly longer and rated this pain as less aversive than self-injurers without self-punishment motivations and the comparison group of noninjurers. Our findings, therefore, suggest that willingness to tolerate painful stimulation may be an important part of the self-injury experience among individuals who engage in NSSI to self-punish. Moreover, our findings suggest that motivational factors underlying NSSI should be integrated into theories on the link between NSSI and pain sensitivity.

The present study provides evidence that witnessing domestic violence in childhood is an important risk factor for NSSI. Clinical relevance includes implications for clinicians to develop targeted intervention and prevention strategies for NSSI for children who have witnessed domestic violence.