Citation

Vanderhei S, Rojahn J, Stuewig J, McKnight PE. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 2014; 44(3): 317-330.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, American Association of Suicidology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/sltb.12069

PMID

24313627

Abstract

Nonsuicidal self-injury is especially common in adolescents and young adults. Self-injury may be related to shame or guilt-two moral emotions-as these differentially predict other maladaptive behaviors. Using a college sample, we examined not only how shame-proneness, guilt-proneness, and internalizing emotional tendencies related to self-injury, but also whether these moral emotions moderate the relation between internalizing tendencies and self-injury. High shame-proneness was associated with higher frequencies of self-injury. High guilt-proneness was associated with less self-injury, although this effect was mitigated at higher levels of internalizing tendencies. These results suggest shame-proneness is a risk factor for self-injury, while guilt-proneness is protective.

Language: en