1. Nonsuicidal Self-injury in a College Population: General Trends and Sex Differences.
- Author
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Whitlock, Janis, Muehlenkamp, Jennifer, Purington, Amanda, Eckenrode, John, Barreira, Paul, Baral Abrams, Gina, Marchell, Tim, Kress, Victoria, Girard, Kristine, Chin, Calvin, and Knox, Kerry
- Subjects
ALCOHOLISM ,ANALYSIS of variance ,ANGER ,COMPARATIVE studies ,CONFIDENCE intervals ,DEPENDENCY (Psychology) ,EPIDEMIOLOGY ,HELP-seeking behavior ,INTENTION ,INTERNET ,INTERPERSONAL relations ,STATISTICAL sampling ,SELF-mutilation ,SEX distribution ,SURVEYS ,LOGISTIC regression analysis ,DATA analysis ,LGBTQ+ people ,DISEASE prevalence ,UNDERGRADUATES ,SEVERITY of illness index - Abstract
Objective: To describe basic nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) characteristics and to explore sex differences. Methods: A random sample from 8 universities were invited to participate in a Web-based survey in 2006–2007; 38.9% (n = 14,372) participated. Analysis assessed sex differences in NSSI prevalence, practices, severity, perceived dependency, and help-seeking; adjusted odds ratios for NSSI characteristics were calculated by sex status. Results: Lifetime NSSI prevalence rates averaged 15.3%. Females were more likely than males to self-injure because they were upset (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3–2.1) or in hopes that someone would notice them (AOR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.1–2.7). Males were 1.6 times (95% CI = 1.2–2.2) more likely to report anger and 4.0 times (95% CI = 2.3–6.8) more likely to report intoxication as an initiating factor. Sexual orientation predicted NSSI, particularly for women (Wald F = 8.81, p ≤ .000). Only 8.9% of the NSSI sample reported disclosing NSSI to a mental health professional. Conclusions: NSSI is common in college populations but varies significantly by sex and sexual orientation. NSSI disclosure is low among both sexes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2011
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