The examination of self-harm among university students: The role of childhood traumas and negative automatic thoughts

In this study, the relationship between self-harming behavior, childhood traumas and automatic thoughts in university students was investigated. In the study, "Sociodemographic Information Form", "Self-Harm Behavior Assessment Scale", "Childhood Trauma Scale" and "Automatic Thoughts Scale" were applied to the participants. The data obtained from the questionnaires were entered into the SPSS 25.0 package program and the relationship between the research variables was examined. In addition, the differences in the scores of self-harming behavior, childhood traumas and negative automatic thoughts were examined in terms of sociodemographic variables. Pearson Correlation, hierarchical regression analysis, independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA were used for analyses, and Kruskal Wallis test was used for comparison of heterogenous groups. According to the findings obtained in the study, it was determined that there was a significant difference in the scores of self-harm, childhood traumas and automatic thoughts in terms of gender, income level, family type, parental education level, number of siblings and employment status. In line with the correlation and regression findings, a positive and significant relationship was found between the self-harming behavior of the participants and their childhood traumas and automatic thoughts. When the predictors of self-harming behavior are examined, being male, childhood traumas and high automatic thoughts scores significantly predict the increase in self-harm scores. Keywords: Childhood Traumas, Negative Automatic Thoughts, Self-harm, Trauma.