2023 - 2024 Home / Collaborative Research Program / NSSI and other coping... Examining predictors of co-occurrence of NSSI with other potentially harmful coping behaviours Mentor/s: Briana Turner 2023 - 2024 Project Overview We collected prospective, monthly surveys from two cohorts of first year university students (n=704). A core aim of this study was to examine trajectories and co-occurrence of potentially harmful coping behaviours, including NSSI, during students’ first year of university. We administered a broad range of personality measures at baseline, in September (e.g., Ten Item Personality Inventory, BIS/BAS, Sensitivity to punishment and sensitivity to reward, UPPS-P impulsivity, DERS) as well as behavioral measures of decision-making. Subsequently, we collected information about participants’ mood, wellbeing, and engagement in various potentially harmful coping behaviours, namely NSSI, disordered eating, substance misuse, physical aggression, and financial risk-taking (compulsive shopping, gambling). Over the upcoming year, I intend to analyze co-occurrence of these behaviors over the year, as well as personality and behavioral predictors of distinct profiles of coping behaviors. I would welcome junior researchers to be involved in this project to refine skills in longitudinal data analysis. Application Deadline: June 11 2023 Apply Now Previous Next

2023 - 2024 Home / Collaborative Research Program / Meta-analysis: NSSI and other... Meta-analysis examining co-occurrence of NSSI with “externalizing” behaviours and disorders Mentor/s: Briana Turner 2023 - 2024 Project Overview My graduate students and I began a meta-analysis examining co-occurrence of NSSI and “externalizing” behaviours and disorders in 2017 and worked on this through 2020; although article extraction and coding were underway, due to parental and family leaves of the Principal Investigator, the literature review now needs to be re-updated, and the coding and analyses remain to be completed. If a junior researcher with experience in meta-analysis was willing to assist our team in refreshing our review and analyzing the data, we would be thrilled to work with them and share what we have learned so far! Application Deadline: June 11 2023 Apply Now Previous Next

Stigma, Recovery, and Lived Experience Collaboration / Special Interest Groups / Stigma, Recovery, and Lived Experience Advocates for Change The Lived Experience Stigma and Recovery Special Interest Group focuses on the lived experience of self-injury, paying particular attention to issues related to stigma and recovery. Our Mission Discover More Click here to view the NSSI "Wiki" page! Representative/s of Stigma, Recovery, and Lived Experience Stephen Lewis slewis03@uoguelph.ca

2023 - 2024 Home / Collaborative Research Program / NSSI in Chinese Adolescents NSSI and other life-threatening behaviours among adolescents in China Mentor/s: Moye Xin 2024 - 2025 Project Overview Affiliation: Xhaanxi Normal University, China Project Description: My research interests mainly focus on a combination with Life-threatening behaviors (e.g., NSSI and suicidal behaviors) among other minorities (e.g., adolescents and young adults at risk) and gender study, then try to figure out the mechanism of them, with the perspective of social science and psychological methodology, meanwhile, cooperating with international platforms, if possible. Applicants should have the following skills: Basic skills of data analysis, literature review and a little bit of mind of innovation Junior researcher responsibilities: Collecting literatures and revelant data, drafting manuscripts based on their own research interests Anticipated outcome(s) for junior researcher: Able to start your own research by choosing frontiers of research field, and start to write basic literature reviews and do some basic data analysis. Time commitment: 3 days per week for 1 year Application Deadline: June 1, 2024 Apply Now

Nani Kim, RN, at the University of Texas at Austin shares a review of research on help-seeking behaviors for self-injury and self-harm. Season 5 | Episode 63 Podcast/ Season 5 | Episode 63 Help-Seeking for Self-Injury Jul 25, 2025 with Nani Kim, RN Help-Seeking for Self-Injury with Nani Kim, RN 00:00 / 01:04 In this episode, Nani Kim, RN from the University of Texas at Austin talks all things help-seeking for nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). This includes common reasons people give for choosing to seek help for self-harm, common forms of help-seeking behavior for NSSI, how often individuals who self-injure seek help for their self-injury, why they choose to seek help, what types of help they receive, and what happens when they seek help for self-injury. Below are a few references from this episode: Kim, N., Young, C. C., Kim, B. R., Rew, L., & Westers, N. J. (in press). Help-seeking behaviors in adolescents and young adults who engage in nonsuicidal self-injury: An integrative review . Journal of Adolescent Health . Advance online publication (free to access through August 7, 2025). Nadler, A. (1987). Determinants of help seeking behaviour: The effects of helper’s similarity, task centrality and recipient’s self esteem . European Journal of Social Psychology, 17 (1), 57-67. Mackesy, C. (2019). The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse: Inspiring conversations on hope, love and personal growth . HarperOne. Previous Next

ISSS Rising Stars About /Awards / ISSS Rising Stars Recognizing Potential ISSS Rising Stars are dedicated early-career researchers, clinicians, or advocates whose work demonstrates potential and commitment to make a significant contribution to the field and to the lives of people with lived experience. 2023 Rising Star Read more Dr Kathryn Fox Dr Fox is an Assistant Professor in the clinical child psychology Ph.D. Program at the University of Denver, where she also directs the Fox Lab in the Department of Psychology. Rising Stars of ISSS 2023 Dr. Kathryn Fox Dr. Fox is an Assistant Professor in the clinical child psychology Ph.D. Program at the University of Denver, where she also directs the Fox Lab in the Department of Psychology. Read more...

Nancy Heath, PhD, from McGill University in Canada explains how schools can respond appropriately to students who engage in self-injury and self-harm. Season 1 | Episode 20 Podcast/ Season 1 | Episode 20 Self-Injury in Schools Dec 3, 2021 with Dr. Nancy Heath Self-Injury in Schools with Dr. Nancy Heath 00:00 / 01:04 How can schools appropriately respond to students who engage in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), whether the behavior occurs at home, on school grounds, or elsewhere? What protocols exist to support schools to better respond to students who self-injure? What role does liability play? In this episode, Dr. Nancy Heath of McGill University in Montreal, Canada explains how schools can support students who engage in self-injury and self-harm. Learn more about Dr. Heath's work here , and learn more about her work with the Development and Intrapersonal Resilience (DAIR) Research Team here . Learn more about the International Consortium on Self-Injury in Educational Settings (ICSES) at http://icsesgroup.org/ . Self-injury Outreach & Support (SiOS) offers resources for schools here and a list of do's and don'ts here . Visit SiOS at http://sioutreach.org and follow them on Facebook ( www.facebook.com/sioutreach ) and Twitter ( https://twitter.com/sioutreach ). Below are links to some of Dr. Heath's research as well as resources referenced in this episode: Hasking, P. A., Bloom, E., Lewis, S. P., & Baetens, I. (2020). Developing a policy, and professional development for school staff, to address and respond to nonsuicidal self-injury in schools . International Perspectives in Psychology: Research, Practice, Consultation, 9 (3), 176. Berger, E., Hasking, P., & Reupert, A. (2015). Developing a policy to address nonsuicidal self-injury in schools . Journal of School Health, 85 (9), 629-647. Lloyd-Richardson, E. E., Hasking, P., Lewis, S.P., Hamza, C., McAllister, M., Baetens, I., & Muehlenkamp, J. (2020). Addressing self-injury in schools, part 1: understanding nonsuicidal self-injury and the importance of respectful curiosity in supporting youth who engage in self-injury . NASN School Nurse, 35 (2), 92-98. Lloyd-Richardson, E. E., Hasking, P., Lewis, S.P., Hamza, C., McAllister, M., Baetens, I., & Muehlenkamp, J. (2020). Addressing self-injury in schools, part 2: how school nurses can help with supporting assessment, ongoing care, and referral for treatment . NASN School Nurse, 35 (2), 99-103. Lewis, S. P., Heath, N. L., Hasking, P. A., Hamza, C. A., Bloom, E. L., Lloyd-Richardson, E. E., & Whitlock, J. (2019). Advocacy for improved response to self-injury in schools: A call to action for school psychologists . Psychological Services, 17 (S1), 86–92. De Riggi, M. E., Moumne, S., Heath, N. L., & Lewis, S. P. (2017). Non-suicidal self-injury in our schools: a review and research-informed guidelines for school mental health professionals . Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 32 (2), 122-143. Whitlock, J. L., Baetens, I., Lloyd-Richardson, E., Hasking, P., Hamza, C., Lewis, S., Franz, P., & Robinson, K. (2018). Helping schools support caregivers of youth who self-injure: Considerations and recommendations . School Psychology International, 39 (3), 312-328. Hasking, P. A., Heath, N. L., Kaess, M., Lewis, S. P., Plener, P. L., Walsh, B. W., .Whitlock, J., & Wilson, M. S. (2016). Position paper for guiding response to non-suicidal self-injury in schools . School Psychology International, 37 (6), 644-663. Open access here . Book: Self-Injury in Youth: The Essential Guide to Assessment and Intervention (2008) by Drs. Mary Nixon & Nancy Heath Follow Dr. Westers on Instagram and Twitter (@DocWesters). To join ISSS, visit itriples.org and follow ISSS on Facebook and Twitter (@ITripleS). The Psychology of Self-Injury podcast has been rated #5 by Feedspot in their " Top 15 Clinical Psychology Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021 " and by Welp Magazine in their " 20 Best Injury Podcasts of 2021 ." Previous Next

About Self-Injury Who Self-Injures and Why? Resources / About Self-Injury / Who Self-Injures and Why? "A kaleidoscope of people & reasons" People of all ages, genders, sexualities, ethnicities, and social classes self-injure, though there are factors that may increase the likelihood that an individual will self-injure. Age Current research suggests that self-injury most commonly begins between ages 12 and 15 (Plener et al., 2015), with a second onset peak in early adulthood, around age 20 (Ghandi et al., 2018). Some people first start to self-injure before the age of 12 and some first self-injure much later in life. An age of onset before 12 is associated with more severe self-injury over a longer period of time (Muehlenkamp et al., 2019). Typically rates of self-injury increase through early-mid adolescence and decline in later adolescence. Sex, gender, and sexuality A 2015 meta-analysis of 116 studies showed that girls and women are slightly more likely to self-injure than boys and men, with this gender difference particularly evident in clinical samples. Self-injury is also more common among individuals identifying within the LGBTQIA+ community, with rates 2-3 times that of heterosexual/cisgender individuals (Liu et al., 2019). Culture and race A majority of research to date has focussed on samples comprising mostly Caucasian individuals from Western societies. This has lead to a significant gap in our understanding of NSSI among individuals in underrepresented cultural and racial groups. Current knowledge suggests that self-injury is present across cultures and races. A review by Gholamrezaei et al. (2015) showed there may be differences in age of onset and function, but the differences are complicated by social and economic factors, often brought about by racism. Psychological profile A meta-analysis (Fox et al., 2015) found that risk factors for self-injury include depression, hopelessness, abuse, personality and eating disorders, and impulsivity. People who engage in self-injury report being more sensitive to interpersonal stress or conflict, and experiencing greater difficulty expressing and regulating their emotions. That being said, most people who engage in self-injury do not have a mental illness. Trauma and hardship Experiences of trauma can leave lasting psychological damage resulting in instrusive thoughts, flashbacks, painful emotional states, and dissociation. Self-injury may be used by individuals facing these experineces, as it can be an effective strategy for escaping unwanted experiences and ending dissociation (Smith et al., 2014). Whilst people who have experienced trauma are more likely to engage in self-injury (Liu et al., 2018), it is a myth that all people who self-injure have experienced childhood trauma. Poverty is an additional risk factor for self-injury, with individuals from impoverished backgrounds more likely to self-injure than individuals whose socioeconomic needs were met (Liu, 2021). Why People Self-Injure Self-injury can be difficult to understand, as it appears to go against humans' innate desire to avoid harm. However, the reasons someone might injure themselves on purpose are often similar to the reasons people engage in other behaviours. Individuals who have self-injured often report more than one reason for their self-injury, and their reasons may change over time. The functions of self-injury can be classified into two broad categories: intrapersonal and interpersonal. Self-injury for intrapersonal reasons is more common than for interpersonal reasons (Taylor et al., 2018). Intrapersonal Functions Intrapersonal reasons have to do with an individual's internal state, including thoughts and emotions. There are three main intrapersonal functions: Emotion regulation. The most commonly reported reason to engage in self-injury is to manage emotional experiences. This includes escaping an unwanted emotions or inducing a desired emotion. Typically, these emotions are "negative", such as anger, frustration, sadness, and loneliness, but "positive" emotions such as excitement or pride have also been reported. Thought regulation. This is closely linked to emotion regulation, as our thoughts and emotions are connected. Individuals may use self-injury to control or quieten unwanted thoughts, such as self-criticism or suicidal ideation. Self-punishment. While self-punishment appears to serve an emotion regulation purpose, self-injury for this reason is usually tied to feelings or shame or thoughts about oneself being "flawed" or "bad". Interpersonal Functions Interpersonal functions have to do with an individual's connection with others, and include three main reasons: Communicating distress. Sometimes individuals may not know how to explain their distress to others and use self-injury as a way to communicate their feelings. Social influence. There may be several motivations underlying self-injury as a way to influence others. An individual may engage in self-injury to keep people away from them, to demonstrate their belonging to a social group, to elicit care, or to encourage a change in behaviour. Punishment. Sometimes a person may engage in self-injury as a way to punish another person for something they have or have not done. In these instances, the self-injury is typically communicating distress and serving an emotion regulation function as well. References Fox, K. R., Franklin, J. C., Ribeiro, J. D., Kleiman, E. M., Bentley, K. H., & Nock, M. K. (2015). Meta-analysis of risk factors for nonsuicidal self-injury. Clinical Psychology Review , 42 , 156-167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2015.09.002 Gandhi, A., Luyckx, K., Baetens, I., Kiekens, G., Sleuwaegen, E., Berens, A., Maitra, S., & Claes, L. (2018). Age of onset of non-suicidal self-injury in Dutch-speaking adolescents and emerging adults: An event history analysis of pooled data. Comprehensive Psychiatry , 80 , 170-178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2017.10.007 Gholamrezaei, M., De Stefano, J., & Heath, N. (2015). Nonsuicidal self-injury across cultures and ethnic and racial minorities: A review. International Journal of Psychology , 52 , 316-326. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijop.12230 Liu, R. R. (2021). The epidemiology of non-suicidal self-injury: Lifetime prevalence, sociodemographic and clinical correlates, and treatment use in a nationally representative sample of adults in England. Psychological Medicine , 53 , 274-282. https://doi.org/10.1017/S003329172100146X Liu, R. T., Scopelliti, K. M., Pittman, S. K., & Zamora, A. S. (2018). Childhood maltreatment and non-suicidal self-injury: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet - Psychiatry , 5 , 51-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(17)30469-8 Liu, R. T., Sheehan, A. E., Walsh, R. F. L., Sanzari, C. M., Cheek, S. M., & Hernandez, E. M. (2019). Prevalence and correlates of non-suicidal self-injury among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review , 74 , Article 101783. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2019.101783 Muehlenkamp, J. J., Xhunga, N., & Brausch, A. M. (2019). Self-injury age of onset: A risk factor for NSSI severity and suicidal behavior. Archives of Suicide Research , 23 , 551-563. https://doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2018.1486252 Plener, P. L., Schumachers, T. S., Munz, L., & Groschwitz, R. C. (2015). The longitudinal course of non-suicidal self-injury and deliberate self-harm: A systematic review of the literature. Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation , 2 , Article 2. https://doi.org/10.1186%2Fs40479-014-0024-3 Smith, N. B., Kouros, C. D., & Meuret, A. E. (2014). The role of trauma symptoms in nonsuicidal self-injury. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse , 15 , 41-56. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838013496332 Taylor, P. J., Jomar, K., Dhingra, K., Forrester, R., Shahmalak, U., & Dickson, J. M. (2018). A meta-analysis of the prevalence of different functions of non-suicidal self-injury. Journal of Affective Disorders , 227 , 759-769. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.11.073

Home / Awards / Invited Fellow / Dr. Paul L. Plener Dr. Paul L. Plener Previous Dr. Paul L. Plener is a Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Head of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Medical University of Vienna (Austria). His internationally recognized research examines self-injury, suicide prevention, and adolescent mental health services, combining rigorous empirical study with a deep concern for clinical relevance. Dr. Plener has been instrumental in advancing knowledge about the developmental pathways of self-injury and improving access to evidence-based care for young people across Europe. He is known for his collaborative spirit, global leadership in mental health research, and his commitment to ensuring that scientific insights translate into real-world healing and prevention. Next ISSS Fellow | 2022

Christina Robillard, M.Sc., from the University of Victoria in Canada explains the relationship between self-criticism and self-injury as well as other self-harm behaviors like disordered eating. Season 4 | Episode 49 Podcast/ Season 4 | Episode 49 Self-Criticism as a Predictor of Self-Injury May 31, 2024 with Christina Robillard Self-Criticism as a Predictor of Self-Injury with Christina Robillard 00:00 / 01:04 In this episode, Christina Robillard talks about how self-criticism can lead to increases in self-injury urges within the next two hours as well as the relationship between self-criticism and disordered eating. She explains how she and her team use ecological momentary assessment (EMA; see Season 1, Episode 11 with Dr. Glenn Kiekens) to assess self-criticism in real time. Connect with Christina on LinkedIn here . See Christina's academic page at the University of Victoria here and her Google Scholar page here . Below are links to some of her papers as well as one about self-criticism and pain: Robillard, C. L., Merrin, G. J., Legg, N. K., Ames, M. E., & Turner, B. J. (2024). Different self-damaging behaviours, similar motives? Testing measurement invariance of motives for nonsuicidal self-injury, disordered eating and substance misuse . British Journal of Clinical Psychology . Advance online publication. Robillard, C. L., Legg, N. K., Ames, M. E., & Turner, B. J. (2022). Support for a transdiagnostic motivational model of self-damaging behaviors: Comparing the salience of motives for binge drinking, disordered eating, and nonsuicidal self-injury . Behavior Therapy, 53 (6), 1219-1232. Robillard, C. L., Chapman, A. L., & Turner, B. J. (2022). Learning from experience: Within- and between-person associations of the consequences, frequency, and versatility of nonsuicidal self-injury . Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 52 (5), 836-847. Robillard, C. L., Turner, B. J., Ames, M. E., & Craig, S. G. (2021). Deliberate self-harm in adolescents during COVID-19: The roles of pandemic-related stress, emotion regulation difficulties, and social distancing . Psychiatry Research, 304 , 114152. Fox, K. R., O'Sullivan, I. M., Wang, S. B., & Hooley, J. M. (2019). Self-criticism impacts emotional responses to pain . Behavior Therapy, 50 (2), 410-420. Previous Next

Two paragraph summary Research on Self-Injury in Daily Life Dr Glenn Kiekens Two paragraph summary Previous Next Featured Member Home / Special Interest Groups / Research on Self-Injury in Daily Life / Member Spotlights Question Answer

Home / Awards / Invited Fellow / Dr. Janis L. Whitlock Dr. Janis L. Whitlock Previous Dr. Janis Whitlock is a Senior Research Scientist and Director Emerita at the Cornell Research Program on Self-Injury and Recovery (United States). For over two decades, she has been a pioneering force in understanding the epidemiology, context, and recovery process of self-injury, especially among adolescents and college students. Her work has illuminated how social, developmental, and digital factors influence self-injury, and she has been at the forefront of translating research into accessible educational materials for clinicians, parents, and young people. Her work has been foundational in understanding self-injury among adolescents and young adults, particularly in community and online contexts. Dr. Whitlock is deeply respected for her compassionate approach, her emphasis on resilience and recovery, and her lifelong commitment to empowering individuals and communities to respond to self-injury with understanding rather than stigma. Next ISSS Fellow | 2022