Cognitive emotion regulation strategies among emerging adults with different self-harm histories

Background: Self-injurious behaviors have a high prevalence in emerging adulthood. People who engage in self-injury report more emotion regulation difficulties than their peers without self-injury. However, there is little research on how use of emotion regulation strategies varies over brief periods among emerging adults with differing self-harm histories. The current study examined variability in cognitive emotion regulation strategies between emerging adults with no self-harm, previous suicide attempts, or non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). Methods: Forty-one racially and ethnically diverse participants, ages 18–27, completed measures of cognitive emotion regulation once daily for one week. Results: Data collected from 5 of these days were analyzed due to missing data on days 6 and 7. Growth curve analyses revealed differences in trajectories of rumination, acceptance, and catastrophizing, depending on self-harm histories. Specifically, participants with previous NSSI displayed increases in rumination, acceptance, and catastrophizing over time, compared to peers with a previous suicide attempt. Limitations: The study design was limited by lack of assessment of self-harm during the daily diary, a limited assessment period of only one week, and distal time period of group classification. Conclusions: These findings suggest that while emerging adults with NSSI histories use more emotion regulation strategies, they may need assistance in selecting when and how to use specific strategies.