Self‐Injury, Gender, and Loneliness Among College Students

Abstract

Several studies have demonstrated relationships between loneliness and numerous psychological and physical difficulties among college students. The purpose of this study was to examine whether loneliness might be a factor associated with increased risk of self-injury among college students. The findings did not support the hypothesis that self-injury would be associated with elevated levels of loneliness. The findings were significant but in the opposite direction than expected. Furthermore, the findings regarding gender are in contrast to findings of previous research. S elf-injurious behavior (SIB), or deliberately harming oneself without suicidal intent, is a phenomenon that clinicians in a variety of settings are likely to encounter. Rates of self-injury among inpatient populations appear quite high (Brodsky, Cloitre, & Dulit, 1995), and research suggests that a large percentage of undergraduates may be engaging in this self-destructive behavior as well, with one study finding a lifetime prevalence rate of 38% (Gratz, Conrad, & Roemer, 2002). High prevalence rates among undergraduates could indicate that college counseling centers may be increasingly called upon to treat young adults presenting with this maladaptive behavior.Given the significant number of young adults affected and the potentially negative ramifications of this behavior, more research investigating the etiology and correlates of self-injury among young adults is needed. Thus far, researchers have identified several correlates of self-injury, although it is unclear whether these factors are specific to any certain age group. One correlate of self-injury is alexithymia (Paivio & McCulloch, 2004;Zlotnick et al., 1996), or the inability to speak about one's emotions. Alexithymia is thought to be a consequence of a deficit in emotional awareness, and researchers speculate that self-injury serves as a method of communication for such individuals. Physical separation from and emotional neglect by caregivers is also associated with SIB. Specifically, for male undergraduates, physical separation from their father during childhood was associated with greater risk for developing SIBs; however, only emotional neglect by mothers or fathers, and not physical separation, was predictive of self-injury among college women (Gratz et al., 2002). A third correlate of self-injury is greater impulsivity. Herpertz, Sass, and Favazza (1997) found that people who self-injure manifest more impulsive behaviors such as binge drinking, drug abuse, and acting in accordance with current wishes rather than planning for future needs. Their study also indicated that self-injury was associated with impaired serotonergic functioning in the brain, a condition that is often associated with difficulty inhibiting one's impulses. A number of studies have linked dissociation and self-injury, and Suyemoto's (1998) review of the research indicates that self-injury can serve both to produce

Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Among University Students in Turkey: The Effect of Gender and Childhood Abuse

“…In addition, the effect of gender was also apparent in age of onset and methods chosen; men started earlier to NSSI than women and chose more serious behaviors like burning and hitting. These results are also consistent with existing studies; the literature demonstrated that men preferred more serious behaviors than women (Andover et al 2010, Dellinger-Ness & Handler 2007, Taylor 2003. Nevertheless, the previous studies performed in Turkey demonstrated a different picture; while a study performed on Turkish high school students showed no gender difference in terms of NSSI (Zoro lu et al 2003), some studies even stated that NSSI was more common among male college students (Toprak et al Although functions of NSSI is a growing body of knowledge, the number of the studies is still limited.…”

Early maladaptive schemas in young people who self‐injure

“…For example, a meta-analysis of 116 studies found that females were 1.5 times more likely to report NSSI than males, with the largest differences observed in clinical samples (Bresin & Schoenleber, 2015). The method of self-injury also appears to vary according to gender, with methods such as cutting and scratching most commonly reported by females, and self-hitting and burning more typically reported by males (Andover et al, 2010;Dellinger-Ness & Handler, 2007;Klonsky & Muehlenkamp, 2007). Moreover, emerging evidence suggests NSSI may serve different functions for males and females.…”

Investigating the relationships between loneliness and learning burnout

“…Loneliness is often associated with various psychological difficulties in adults (Dellinger-Ness and Handler, 2007). Particularly, it might exacerbate some of the difficulties that students face when adjusting to university, perhaps leading some students to feel too tired to learn.…”