Nine participants were interviewed about their experiences with unintentionally severe injury during engagement in nonsuicidal self-injury. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, we identified four common themes among participants: (a) explosive affect prior to unintentional injury, (b) loss of control during unintentional injury, (c)…

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a maladaptive coping strategy that is of significant clinical concern for behavioral health professionals in college settings. Relationships between NSSI, acquired capability for suicide, interpersonal cognitions, and five-factor model personality traits were assessed in a survey-based study that included 192…

Nonsuicidal self-injury is a significant concern on college campuses. Hence, the authors, the International Consortium on Self-Injury in Educational Settings, offer the current position paper. First, the authors review current research in the field. Next, they discuss considerations for colleges' institutional-wide response to self-injury,…

Sexual assault and suicide are 2 of many issues facing college students. Recent research calls for an examination of anger in suicidal behavior. Through a series of moderated logistic regression models, the authors examined the moderating effects of anger on the association of recent sexual assault and suicidal behaviors. Results support the…

This study compared college students' (N = 260) responses on a simple dichotomous screening measure and 2 behavior checklists. Seventy-nine participants (30.4%) screened positive (i.e., endorsed nonsuicidal self-injury [NSSI] behavior) on at least 1 measure, and 37 (46.8%) screened positive on the simple screen. Participants who screened positive…

Researchers suggest an increase in self-harm among men. Specifically, college-age men appear to be at risk for self-harming behaviors, and counselors often overlook these behaviors in treatment. In this article, the authors describe the issue of self-harm and illustrate the use of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT; Linehan, 2014) with male college…

The relationship between self-injury (SI) and suicide is largely unclear. However, researchers have suggested that clients who self-injure are at a heightened risk of suicide (Chapman & Dixon-Gordon, 2007; Toprak, Cetin, Guven, Can, & Demircan, 2011]). Thus, it is important that college counselors be knowledgeable about both SI and…

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that may protect or insulate people from engaging in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). College students (N = 14,385) from 8 universities participated in a web-based survey. Results of bivariate correlations and multiple regression revealed that spirituality/religiosity, life satisfaction, and life…

The authors recruited college students (N = 648) and investigated relationships among academic and social self-efficacy, relational aggression from parents and peers, and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). Results indicated that both types of self-efficacy were related inversely to NSSI. Academic self-efficacy mediated the relationship between…

Nonsuicidal self-injury is an important concern that has received limited attention. In this study, the authors explored several factors differentiating three student groups: never self injured, self-injured in the past, and currently self-injure. Among the factors investigated, results showed that currently self-injuring students were younger,…

This case study describes the counseling experience of a college woman undergoing treatment to address self-injurious behavior. The article presents and illustrates a counseling approach that is conceptually based on attachment and object relations theory. The approach emphasizes the client-counselor relationship and the need to establish a…

The authors used structural equation modeling to test the mediational role of affect regulation on attachment and deliberate self-harm in 216 undergraduates. Results suggest that affect regulation mediates the relationship between attachment and deliberate self-harm, providing support for the theoretical importance of attachment and affect…

An Internet-based survey about dating violence and self-injury was completed by 1,777 undergraduates. A regression analysis tested if recent dating violence victimization and perpetration experiences predicted whether participants self-injured in the past 90 days, after controlling for demographic variables and attitudes toward self-injury and…

Several studies have demonstrated relationships between loneliness and numerous psychological and physical difficulties among college students. The purpose of this study was to examine whether loneliness might be a factor associated with increased risk of self-injury among college students. The findings did not support the hypothesis that…

The topic of self-injurious behavior (SIB) has been gaining widespread attention. Although college counselors engage in various types of treatments in order to uncover the underlying reasons for a client's SIB, there is another step in treatment that might be helpful to clients who self-injure. This step involves alternatives to self-injury. The…