Essay Undergraduate 2,308 words

Self-Harming Behavior in Young People: Causes and Interventions

~12 min read 7 sections Psychology

Abstract

This paper examines non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among young people, covering its definition, prevalence rates, and the range of emotional functions it serves. It discusses key risk factors, particularly childhood sexual abuse and its relationship to deliberate self-harm, and explores why mental health professionals find early intervention critical. The paper then proposes a two-pronged non-pharmacological intervention strategy: immediate distraction techniques (such as rubber-band snapping, ice, or cold showers) combined with longer-term expressive outlets including art therapy, journaling, and non-competitive exercise. Evidence for each approach is reviewed, with attention to cost-effectiveness, patient empowerment, and suitability for adolescent and young adult populations.

Key Takeaways

Introduction to Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: Definition and clinical significance of NSSI
Prevalence, Demographics, and Risk Factors: Rates, gender differences, and PTSD links
Functions and Emotional Motivations of Self-Harm: Why individuals self-harm and varied emotional outcomes
Childhood Sexual Abuse and Its Role in Self-Harm: Trauma history as a key predictor of NSSI
Non-Pharmacological Intervention Approaches: Rubber-band technique and immediate distraction strategies
Art Therapy, Journaling, and Exercise as Therapeutic Tools: Evidence-based expressive therapies for NSSI
Conclusion: Clinical promise and nursing implications of these methods

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What makes this paper effective

Grounds clinical claims in cited empirical research, including longitudinal cohort studies and meta-analyses, giving the argument a credible evidentiary base.
Moves logically from problem description (Part A) to practical intervention (Part B), creating a clear applied-practice structure appropriate for a nursing or counseling audience.
Acknowledges complexity and uncertainty—for example, noting that gender differences in prevalence remain inconclusive—rather than overstating findings.
Connects abstract theory to concrete techniques (rubber-band snapping, cold showers, journaling prompts), making the intervention section immediately usable.

Key academic technique demonstrated

The paper integrates multiple sources around a single claim rather than summarizing each source in isolation. For instance, the section on art therapy synthesizes Milia (2012), Waller (2006), and Pifalo (2006) to build a cumulative case, showing how evidence from different study designs converges on the same conclusion.

Structure breakdown

The paper is organized in two named parts. Part A covers the theoretical and empirical landscape: definition, prevalence, demographics, emotional functions, and the role of childhood trauma. Part B pivots to application, proposing a two-pronged non-pharmacological intervention and supporting each component with research. The references section is formatted in APA style and draws on peer-reviewed journals, government sources, and practitioner resources.

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Essay 2,308 words

Introduction to Non-Suicidal Self-Injury

Young people engaging in self-harming behaviors is referred to as non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI): deliberate, intentional harm to the physical body without the desire to commit suicide (Klonsky, 2010). Young people often engage in these behaviors through cutting the top layer of the skin, hitting, or burning. Many professionals within the field of mental health find this behavior deeply distressing, as there is such a clear connection to suicide. "Some argue that self-injury should constitute its own diagnostic syndrome in light of the behavior's clinical significance and presence across multiple disorders" (Klonsky, 2010). It is worth noting that self-harming behaviors manifest across a range of conditions, from eating disorders and personality disorders to drug addiction and anxiety (Klonsky, 2010).

Self-harm is also referred to as "non-suicidal self-injurious behaviour" (NSSI), and the Centers for Disease Control cites suicide as the third leading cause of death among young people (Klonsky, 2010). According to CDC research, "19% engage in NSSI, 13% seriously consider suicide, and 6% attempt suicide" (Klonsky, 2010). Determining exact rates of self-harm can be difficult, as figures vary widely depending on how researchers frame their questions. Based on general estimations, between 2% and 6% of people will engage in self-harming behavior at some point during their lifetime (ptsd.va.gov). Self-harming behaviors among young people are deeply concerning and represent a serious enough problem that better understanding and more strategic interventions are needed.

Prevalence, Demographics, and Risk Factors

Among young people, rates of self-harm clearly exceed the general population figure, reaching the 13% to 35% range (ptsd.va.gov). People who have long-standing mental and emotional health problems and who suffer from PTSD are more likely to engage in self-harming behaviors (ptsd.va.gov). It remains unclear within the mental health community whether these actions are more common in females or males. Some researchers have suggested that the behavior more commonly manifests in adolescent girls. For example, in a study with 1,802 participants, "with 149 (8%) reporting self-harm, more girls (95/947 [10%]) than boys (54/855 [6%]) reported self-harm (risk ratio 1.6, 95% CI 1.2–2.2)" (Moran et al., 2012). This same study reported a reduction in self-harming behaviors in later adolescence, but a stronger continuity remained in girls than in boys (Moran et al., 2012). While this research should be taken into consideration, further studies are needed before concluding that this behavior is more prevalent in girls.

There is an element of this behavior that puzzles mental health professionals—namely, why certain depressed or anxious people engage in self-harm when others do not. Most professionals consider this behavior a disturbing gateway to suicide (Whitlock et al., 2013). However, research has demonstrated that those who engage in self-harming actions experience negative feelings and thoughts more frequently and at a greater intensity than the average depressed person (ptsd.va.gov; Portzky et al., 2008).

5 Sections Hidden · 1,170 words

Functions and Emotional Motivations of Self-Harm160 words

When a person engages in self-harm, they are likely to describe a wide range of feelings, thoughts, moods, and intentions. This broad spectrum means it can be more challenging for mental…

Childhood Sexual Abuse and Its Role in Self-Harm250 words

One of the significant risk factors associated with self-harming behavior is childhood abuse, particularly childhood sexual abuse. One research study found that when women reported incidents of childhood…

Non-Pharmacological Intervention Approaches280 words

While pharmacological approaches are popular and prevalent (Ougrin et al., 2015), the non-pharmacological approach suggested here for the relevant population would be twofold. The first prong addresses the compulsive urge to feel pain. Having…

Art Therapy, Journaling, and Exercise as Therapeutic Tools390 words

Non-competitive exercise has been shown to minimize the urge to self-harm (Nock, 2006). It is important that the environment in which the exercise occurs…

Conclusion90 words

Another study found that art therapy combined with cognitive behavioral therapy could reduce many of the symptoms that lead to self-harming behavior in individuals who had been sexually abused (Pifalo, 2006). Symptoms such as under-response, hyper-response, depression, post-traumatic stress, dissociation, anger, anxiety,…

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References

De Silva, S., Parker, A., Purcell, R., Callahan, P., Liu, P., & Hetrick, S. (2013). Mapping the evidence of prevention and intervention studies for suicidal and self-harming behaviors in young people. Crisis.

Gladstone, G. L., Parker, G. B., Mitchell, P. B., Malhi, G. S., Wilhelm, K., & Austin, M. P. (2004). Implications of childhood trauma for depressed women: an analysis of pathways from childhood sexual abuse to deliberate self-harm and revictimization. American Journal of Psychiatry, 161(8), 1417–1425.

Greydanus, D. E., & Shek, D. (2009). Deliberate self-harm and suicide in adolescents. The Keio Journal of Medicine, 58(3), 144–151.

Hilton, B. (2015, June). Scraping by—self care writing for non-suicidal self-injury. Retrieved from https://www120.secure.griffith.edu.au/rch/file/1740ead5-a3d5-4a31-8b24-92c5e861d36c/1/Hilton_2016_01Thesis.pdf

Klonsky, E. D. (2009). The functions of self-injury in young adults who cut themselves: Clarifying the evidence for affect-regulation. Psychiatry Research, 166(2–3), 260–268.

Lowenstein, L. F. (2005). Youths who intentionally practise self-harm: Review of the recent research 2001–2004.

Milia, D. (2000). Self-mutilation and art therapy: Violent creation. London, England: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Miner, C. L., Love, H. A., & Paik, S. E. (2016). Non-suicidal self-injury in adolescents: Addressing the function and the family from the perspective of systemic family therapies. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 44(4), 211–220.

Moran, P., Coffey, C., Romaniuk, H., Olsson, C., Borschmann, R., Carlin, J. B., & Patton, G. C. (2012). The natural history of self-harm from adolescence to young adulthood: a population-based cohort study. The Lancet, 379(9812), 236–243.

Nock, M. K., Prinstein, M. J., & Sterba, S. K. (2009). Revealing the form and function of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors: A real-time ecological assessment study among adolescents and young adults. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 118(4), 816.

Noll, J. G., Horowitz, L. A., Bonanno, G. A., Trickett, P. K., & Putnam, F. W. (2003). Revictimization and self-harm in females who experienced childhood sexual abuse: Results from a prospective study. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 18(12), 1452–1471.

Ougrin, D., Tranah, T., Stahl, D., Moran, P., & Asarnow, J. R. (2015). Therapeutic interventions for suicide attempts and self-harm in adolescents: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 54(2), 97–107.

Pifalo, T. (2006). Art therapy with sexually abused children and adolescents: Extended research study. Art Therapy, 23(4), 181–185.

Portzky, G., De Wilde, E. J., & Van Heeringen, K. (2008). Deliberate self-harm in young people: Differences in prevalence and risk factors between The Netherlands and Belgium. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 17(3), 179–186.

Ptsd.va.gov. (n.d.). Self-harm and trauma—PTSD: National Center for PTSD. Retrieved from https://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/problems/self-harm.asp

Simpson, C. (2001). Self-mutilation. Greensboro, NC: ERIC Clearinghouse on Counseling and Student Services.

Walsh, B. (2018). Interventions for self-harm: What works and what does not. Retrieved from

Waller, D. (2006). Art therapy for children: How it leads to change. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 11(2), 271–282.

Whitlock, J., Muehlenkamp, J., Eckenrode, J., Purington, A., Abrams, G. B., Barreira, P., & Kress, V. (2013). Nonsuicidal self-injury as a gateway to suicide in young adults. Journal of Adolescent Health, 52(4), 486–492.

Young, K. (2010, March 1). Alternatives to self-injury. Retrieved from https://drkathleenyoung.wordpress.com/2010/03/01/alternatives-to-self-injury/

Key Concepts in This Paper

Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Childhood Trauma Art Therapy Coping Mechanisms Early Intervention Emotional Regulation Adolescent Mental Health Exercise Therapy Journaling Childhood Sexual Abuse