Profiles of Emotion Dysregulation Among University Students Who Self-Injure: Associations with Parent-Child Relationships and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Characteristics.

More research is needed to understand the different vulnerability profiles of university students who engage in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). This study sought to classify university students (n = 479; 83.8% female) aged 17-25 years (M = 18.77; SD = 1.42) who had engaged in NSSI within the past year into latent profiles based on their self-perceived difficulties in regulating both positive and negative emotions. Independent samples of students who had a past history of NSSI but had not self-injured within the previous year (n = 439; 82.9% females; Mage = 19.03, SD = 1.62) and who had no history of NSSI (n = 1551; 69.9% females; Mage = 19.02, SD = 1.55) were recruited for comparison purposes. Latent cluster analyses revealed three emotion regulation profiles within the NSSI sample-the Average Difficulties (47.4%), Dysregulated (33.0%), and Low Difficulties (19.6%) profiles-each of which differed meaningfully from both comparison samples on mean emotion regulation difficulties. Students across profiles also differed in their self-reported experiences with parents, particularly with fathers (pressure, antipathy, unresolved attachment, psychological control), and in the extent to which they felt alienated from parents. Lastly, students across profiles differed in the frequency, methods, functions, and addictive properties of their NSSI. Findings highlight that university students who self-injure experience distinct patterns of difficulties with emotion regulation, which are associated with variation in parent-child relational risk factors and NSSI outcomes.

Invalidating Caregiving Environments, Specific Emotion Regulation Deficits, and Non-suicidal Self-injury.

This study examined the indirect effects of distinct aspects of invalidating caregiving environments (i.e., paternal maltreatment, maternal maltreatment, and perceived alienation) on non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) via six specific emotion regulation difficulties. We hypothesized that specific emotion regulation deficits would mediate associations between invalidating environments and NSSI. Participants included 114 young adults (57 self-injurers; 57 age- and sex-matched comparison participants) aged 17-25 years. Three parallel mediation models tested hypotheses. Results showed that maternal maltreatment, paternal maltreatment, and perceived alienation indirectly predicted NSSI through poor emotional clarity. Maternal maltreatment uniquely predicted NSSI through limited access to regulation strategies. Lastly, maternal maltreatment and perceived alienation were both linked to greater difficulties engaging in goal-directed behavior during emotional upsets; however, contrary to hypotheses, this particular deficit was associated with decreased odds of engaging in NSSI. Findings illustrate how different aspects of invalidating environments and specific emotion regulation deficits may be implicated in NSSI engagement.

Developmental and attachment-based perspectives on dissociation: beyond the effects of maltreatment.

Background: Numerous years of theory and research have informed our understanding of the caregiving experiences that confer vulnerability for dissociation. This work has resulted in widespread agreement on the role of childhood maltreatment as an aetiological factor. Objective: With clear integration of this perspective, the current paper draws attention to the spectrum of vulnerability that can exist over and above the trauma of maltreatment within early caregiving experiences. Method: An integrative review of the developmental literature on dissociation is presented. Results: We first review and integrate existing developmental theories of dissociation into a more unified perspective, highlighting a combination of defensive and intersubjective pathways towards dissociative outcomes. Next, we present empirical research demonstrating which specific caregiving experiences are associated with dissociation. Lastly, we review recent neurodevelopmental research demonstrating that (non-extreme) caregiving stressors during infancy impact the developing limbic structures in the brain. We conclude by offering directions for future research. Conclusion: Findings make the case for approaching assessments of the caregiver-child relationship with discernment of factors beyond the presence/absence of maltreatment when conceptualizing risk pathways toward dissociation.

Antecedentes: Varios años de teoría, investigación y avances clínicos sustentan nuestra comprensión de experiencias particulares en el cuidado temprano que confieren vulnerabilidad para la disociación. Este trabajo ha dado lugar a un acuerdo generalizado sobre el papel del maltrato infantil como un factor etiológico.Objetivo: Con una clara integración de esta perspectiva, el presente artículo enfatiza el espectro de vulnerabilidad que puede existir más allá del trauma que constituye el maltrato dentro de las experiencias de cuidado tempranas.Método: Se presenta una revisión integradora de la literatura del desarrollo sobre la disociación.Resultados: Primero, revisamos e integramos las teorías del desarrollo existentes sobre la disociación en una perspectiva más unificada, resaltando una combinación de vías defensivas e intersubjetivas que resultan en disociación. Luego, presentamos una investigación empírica que demuestra qué experiencias específicas en el cuidado temprano están asociadas con la disociación. Finalmente, revisamos una investigación reciente en neurodesarrollo que demuestra que los estresores (no extremos) durante el cuidado en lainfancia impactan el desarrollo de las estructuras límbicas del cerebro.Conclusión: Los hallazgos justifican abordar las evaluaciones de la relación cuidador-niño con el discernimiento de factores más allá de la presencia/ausencia de maltrato al conceptualizar las vías de riesgo de disociación.

Associations between mother-preschooler attachment and maternal depression symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The current study aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze concurrent and longitudinal associations between maternal depression symptoms and mother-child attachment during the preschool period (aged 2 to 7 years) as assessed using the coding systems by Cassidy and Marvin (1992) and Main and Cassidy (1988). The review was pre-registered with PROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews; Registration number CRD42017073417) and was conducted in accordance with PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. A total of 7,969 records were screened and 18 articles were deemed as eligible for inclusion in the review. Studies were reviewed using qualitative synthesis techniques and, where appropriate, meta-analysis. Qualitative synthesis indicated that mothers of disorganized/controlling children most consistently reported the highest levels of depressive symptoms, both concurrently and longitudinally. The association between disorganized/controlling child attachment and concurrent maternal depressive symptoms was significant (n = 1,787; g = 0.27, 95% CI [0.13,0.40]), and was not moderated by sample type, child gender, or risk of bias. Findings of a relationship between child attachment insecurity and maternal depressive symptoms must be qualified due to significant within-study heterogeneity and publication bias. Results suggest that maternal depressive symptoms may confer risk for disorganized/controlling attachment during the preschool period.

The functions and addictive features of non-suicidal self-injury: A confirmatory factor analysis of the Ottawa self-injury inventory in a university sample.

The Ottawa Self-Injury Inventory (OSI) is a comprehensive self-report measure of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). In an effort to build on past research and further validate the OSI, this study presents a confirmatory factor analysis of the OSI's subscales measuring the functions and addictive features of NSSI using a university sample. Participants were 316 university students aged 17-25 years (84.8% female) who had engaged in NSSI at least once in their lifetime. Consistent with past research, results confirmed the four-factor structure of the Functions items (Internal Emotion Regulation, Social Influence, External Emotion Regulation, Sensation Seeking), as well as the single-factor structure of Addictive Features items. Correlations calculated between the obtained factors and indicators of NSSI severity revealed that higher endorsement of NSSI's Internal Emotion Regulation functions, External Emotion Regulation functions, and Addictive Features were associated with more frequent lifetime NSSI, recent (past 6 months) NSSI, and greater distress regarding NSSI urges; greater endorsement of NSSI's Sensation Seeking functions was also linked with more frequent lifetime NSSI. Results provide further support for the OSI's psychometric properties in a university sample, and offer additional evidence for links between specific NSSI functions and addictive features and more severe manifestations of the behavior.

Specific coping strategies moderate the link between emotion expression deficits and nonsuicidal self-injury in an inpatient sample of adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a behavior of increasing prevalence in adolescents with links to various negative mental health and adjustment outcomes. Poor emotion expression has been linked with NSSI use, whereas the use of adaptive coping strategies has been identified as a protective factor against NSSI. The current study examined whether specific coping strategies moderate the relation between poor emotion expression and NSSI, and whether moderation is conditional on adolescent gender. METHODS: Ninety-five adolescents hospitalized on an acute care inpatient psychiatric unit completed questionnaires measuring NSSI, emotion expression and use of specific coping strategies (i.e., problem-focused coping, positive reframing coping, support seeking, avoidance, and distraction). RESULTS: Results indicated that poor emotion expression was positively associated with NSSI. Positive reframing and support seeking emerged as significant moderators of the poor emotion expression-NSSI link. This result was not conditional upon adolescent gender. Problem-focused coping, avoidance, and distraction did not emerge as significant moderators. CONCLUSIONS: Encouraging youth to use particular coping strategies might protect against the negative impact of emotion expression deficits for both boys and girls.