The mediating role of emotion regulation skills between self-harming behavior and childhood trauma in university students

In this study, it was aimed to examine the mediating role of emotion regulation skills between childhood traumas and self-harming behavior. Data were collected from 384 university and graduate students studying in different departments of universities. Demographic Information Form, Childhood Trauma Scale (CTS), Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Assessment Tool (NSSI-AT), and Difficulty in Emotion Regulation Scale (DDDS) were used as data collection tools. In the current study, in line with the literature, emotion regulation skills and childhood Age traumas were found to significantly predict self-harming behavior. The impulse and awareness dimensions of emotion regulation sub-dimensions that best predict self-harming behavior; Childhood traumas sub-dimensions are emotional neglect, overprotection, control and sexual abuse. Emotion regulation awareness sub-dimension has the strongest relationship with all childhood traumas sub-dimensions. As a result of the analysis carried out to determine the mediating role of emotion regulation skills, it was concluded that emotion regulation skills have a partial mediating effect in the relationship between self-harming behavior and childhood traumas. The findings obtained from the current study are explained in detail and suggestions for future studies are given.