(School of Psychology, Massey University, 2012) Hastelow, Katherine
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has become
an increasing area of research over the last two
decades, however this has been limited to capturing
prevalence rates and discovering intents and
purposes. Recent research found that nearly 50%
of New Zealand teenagers will try it at least once,
and in the western world around 15% of teenagers
and young adults will do it repeatedly. Most of the
research in this area has been focused on the injury
or harm part of NSSI, with little focus on the effects
of NSSI on identity or life experiences. NSSI itself
can induce guilt and shame, increasing likelihood
of repetition, giving it a cyclic nature. Both the
physical scars and identity as a “self-injurer” are
surrounded by secrecy and stigma and tend to be
managed or hidden, with implications for social
relations.The current paper briefly reviews past
research on NSSI, before discussing possibilities
for future research seeking to address the current
imbalance. The proposed research focuses not on
the NSSI itself, but on its wider effects and how
living with NSSI is experienced, both for the
individual self-injuring and for the people around
them.
