Knowledge of parental nonsuicidal self-injury in young people who self-injure: the mediating role of outcome expectancies

Many dysregulated behaviours, used to cope with intense or unwanted emotion, can be learned in an interpersonal context. Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is potentially one such behaviour. In this study we explored whether knowing a parent self-injured was related to NSSI among young adults, and whether such an association was associated with thoughts and beliefs about NSSI. Specifically we tested the roles of anticipated outcomes of NSSI, and belief in the ability to resist urges to self-injure, in this relationship. A sample of 669 university students, aged between 17 and 30 years (M = 20.77, SD = 2.31), completed self-report measures of the constructs of interest. Of the sample 43 (6.4%) were aware of a parent self-injuring; this was associated with a threefold increase in history of NSSI reported by participants. This relationship was mediated by expectations that NSSI would relieve negative affect, and weaker expectations of resulting physical pain. The relationship between pain expectancies and NSSI was moderated by self-efficacy to resist NSSI. The results suggest that knowledge of parental NSSI may be a risk factor for NSSI among their children, and that cognitions about NSSI could be a potential mechanism explaining this relationship.