An examination of the relationship between body image factors and non-suicidal self-injury in young adults: the mediating influence of emotion dysregulation

Abstract

The current study explored the differential roles of dimensions of body image (i.e., affective, cognitive, and behavioral) among a sample of 101 young adults (72.3% female, M=19.45; S.D.=1.28) who reported having engaged in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), and a matched comparison group of young adults who did not. A mediational model of NSSI was tested, based on the hypothesis that emotion dysregulation would mediate the relationship between dimensions of body image and engagement in NSSI. Preliminary examination of the variables revealed that negative attitudes, suicide-related rumination, and behavioral practices associated with physical appearance significantly differentiated young adults who reported having engaged in NSSI and those who did not, regardless of gender. Path analytic modeling provided partial support for the proposed mediational model, with significant direct and indirect effects between dimensions of body image and NSSI through emotion dysregulation. Discussion focuses on the importance of understanding the differential roles of dimensions of body image and emotion dysregulation as intrapersonal risk factors related to NSSI engagement.