An investigation of the mediating roles of emotion regulation difficulties, distress tolerance, self-compassion and self-disgust in the association between childhood trauma and nonsuicidal self-injury

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the risk factors of nonsuicidal selfinjury which does not have the aim of suicide, and which is done purposely Accordingly, the roles of emotion regulation difficulties, distress tolerance capacity, self-compassion, and physical and behavioral self-disgust in the pathway from sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and physical neglect experienced before the age of 18 to engaging in nonsuicidal self-injury were examined. The present study was conducted with 397 university students who are between the ages of 18 and 30 and receive education in the universities located in various cities of Turkey. Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Inventory Statements about Self-Injury, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, Distress Tolerance Scale, Self-Compassion Scale and SelfDisgust Scale Revised were used to evaluate variables of this study. Data was collected by both doing scale applications in classes and sharing the link of scale set through the internet. After the analyses, it was found that the association between childhood emotional abuse, childhood emotional neglect and nonsuicidal self-injury was mediated by in the order of emotion regulation difficulties and low self-compassion level. In addition to this, it was found that the association between childhood emotional abuse, childhood emotional neglect and nonsuicidal self-injury was mediated by in the order of emotion regulation difficulties and high behavioral self-disgust level. These results indicated that emotional abuse, emotional neglect, emotion regulation difficulties, low level of self-compassion and behavioral self-disgust were risk factors of nonsuicidal self-injury. Moreover, these results displayed two different developmental pathways by enlightening the relationship between childhood emotional maltreatment and nonsuicidal self-injury. All the results of this study were discussed in accordance with the literature. The importance, limitations and clinical implications of the present study and recommendations for future research were discussed.