Why Is non-suicidal self-injury more common in women? mediation and moderation analyses of psychological distress, emotion dysregulation, and impulsivity
Why Is non-suicidal self-injury more common in women? mediation and moderation analyses of psychological distress, emotion dysregulation, and impulsivity
Objective: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) appears to be more common among women than men, though the underlying reasons for this remain unclear. In a community sample of young adults (N = 996, aged 18–33) assessed during the COVID-19 pandemic, we investigated alternative explanation for the NSSI prevalence gap: are women more likely to experience the feelings which lead to NSSI as a coping strategy, or does this prevalence gap result from differences in how men and women respond to distress?
Methods: Cross-sectional mediation and moderation analyses tested how self-reported psychological distress (K10), emotion dysregulation (DERS), and impulsivity (UPPS-P) may contribute to a higher prevalence of NSSI among women. Results: Women were twice as likely as men to report past-year NSSI (14.47% versus 7.78%, OR = 2.00, 95% CI [1.29, 3.13]). Women reported significantly higher psychological distress and significantly lower sensation seeking and positive urgency than men. Psychological distress partially statistically mediated the relationship between gender and past-year NSSI. Gender did not significantly moderate associations between psychological distress, emotion dysregulation, or impulsivity and past-year NSSI. Past-year NSSI prevalence did not significantly decrease with age and we found no significant age by gender interaction.
Conclusions: Greater levels of NSSI in young women are partly explained by their greater levels of psychological distress, but not by differences in how men and women respond to this distress. Given similar levels of psychological distress, emotion dysregulation, and impulsivity, women and men are similarly likely to experience NSSI. Highlights Women aged 18–33 were significantly more likely to report past-year NSSI than men Women’s greater psychological distress contributed to their higher NSSI prevalence Variables investigated here were similarly associated with NSSI in men and women.
Distress, emotion regulation, gender, impulsivity, NSSI, self-harm
Lutz, Nina M.
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Neufeld, Sharon A.S.
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Hook, Roxanne W.
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Jones, Peter B.
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Bullmore, Edward T.
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Goodyer, Ian M.
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Ford, Tamsin J.
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Chamberlain, Samuel R.
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Wilkinson, Paul O.
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Lutz, Nina M.
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Neufeld, Sharon A.S.
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Hook, Roxanne W.
6d6193c6-bc38-4593-9d00-aaf098078b5e
Jones, Peter B.
f8afa603-f19e-4afa-b997-27f6b842bffd
Bullmore, Edward T.
f2fa4f13-15e7-4d71-a4ca-f66d291a31a8
Goodyer, Ian M.
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Ford, Tamsin J.
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Chamberlain, Samuel R.
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Wilkinson, Paul O.
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Lutz, Nina M., Neufeld, Sharon A.S., Hook, Roxanne W., Jones, Peter B., Bullmore, Edward T., Goodyer, Ian M., Ford, Tamsin J., Chamberlain, Samuel R. and Wilkinson, Paul O.
(2022)
Why Is non-suicidal self-injury more common in women? mediation and moderation analyses of psychological distress, emotion dysregulation, and impulsivity.
Archives of Suicide Research.
(doi:10.1080/13811118.2022.2084004).
Abstract
Objective: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) appears to be more common among women than men, though the underlying reasons for this remain unclear. In a community sample of young adults (N = 996, aged 18–33) assessed during the COVID-19 pandemic, we investigated alternative explanation for the NSSI prevalence gap: are women more likely to experience the feelings which lead to NSSI as a coping strategy, or does this prevalence gap result from differences in how men and women respond to distress?
Methods: Cross-sectional mediation and moderation analyses tested how self-reported psychological distress (K10), emotion dysregulation (DERS), and impulsivity (UPPS-P) may contribute to a higher prevalence of NSSI among women. Results: Women were twice as likely as men to report past-year NSSI (14.47% versus 7.78%, OR = 2.00, 95% CI [1.29, 3.13]). Women reported significantly higher psychological distress and significantly lower sensation seeking and positive urgency than men. Psychological distress partially statistically mediated the relationship between gender and past-year NSSI. Gender did not significantly moderate associations between psychological distress, emotion dysregulation, or impulsivity and past-year NSSI. Past-year NSSI prevalence did not significantly decrease with age and we found no significant age by gender interaction.
Conclusions: Greater levels of NSSI in young women are partly explained by their greater levels of psychological distress, but not by differences in how men and women respond to this distress. Given similar levels of psychological distress, emotion dysregulation, and impulsivity, women and men are similarly likely to experience NSSI. Highlights Women aged 18–33 were significantly more likely to report past-year NSSI than men Women’s greater psychological distress contributed to their higher NSSI prevalence Variables investigated here were similarly associated with NSSI in men and women.
Text
Why is NSSI more common in women Clean 28April22
- Accepted Manuscript
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e-pub ahead of print date: 13 June 2022
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Publisher Copyright:© 2022 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
he research was supported by a strategic award from the Wellcome Trust to the University of Cambridge and University College London (095844/Z/11/Z), and a Clinical Fellowship from the Wellcome Trust awarded to Prof Chamberlain (reference 110049/Z/15/Z & A). All research at the Department of Psychiatry in the University of Cambridge is supported by the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Center (BRC-1215-20014) and NIHR Applied Research Collaboration East of England (ARC MHL RNAG 565). TJF is an NIHR Senior Investigator and PBJ and ETB are NIHR Senior Investigators Emeriti. SN was funded by the Cundill Center for Child and Youth Depression. This study was organized by the University of Cambridge and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT). Other NHS sites were involved in the study as recruitment centers. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the Wellcome Trust, NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.
Keywords:
Distress, emotion regulation, gender, impulsivity, NSSI, self-harm
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Local EPrints ID: 478392
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/478392
ISSN: 1381-1118
PURE UUID: 720479ad-5518-488e-be74-0d388771324b
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Date deposited: 29 Jun 2023 16:56
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:03
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Contributors
Author:
Nina M. Lutz
Author:
Sharon A.S. Neufeld
Author:
Roxanne W. Hook
Author:
Peter B. Jones
Author:
Edward T. Bullmore
Author:
Ian M. Goodyer
Author:
Tamsin J. Ford
Author:
Samuel R. Chamberlain
Author:
Paul O. Wilkinson
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