Citation

Gandhi A, Luyckx K, Goossens L, Maitra S, Claes L. Psychol. Belg. 2018; 58(1): 3-12.

Affiliation

Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (CAPRI), University of Antwerp, BE.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Ubiquity Press)

DOI

10.5334/pb.385

PMID

30479803

PMCID

PMC6194522

Abstract

Loneliness and attitude towards aloneness have been shown to be associated to depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric disorders in adolescents and they may also increase the vulnerability to Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI). Therefore, the present study investigated the association between lifetime prevalence and functions of NSSI, parent- and peer-related loneliness, and attitude towards aloneness (positive and negative). Data regarding NSSI, loneliness, and attitude towards aloneness were collected from a sample of 401 high school students from three different high schools located in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. Lifetime prevalence of NSSI was found to be 16.5%. Females reported a higher lifetime prevalence of NSSI than males. Higher mean scores for parent-, peer-related loneliness, and positive attitude (i.e., affinity) towards aloneness was observed in adolescents with lifetime NSSI as compared to adolescents without a history of NSSI. Finally, a positive correlation between self-related (i.e., automatic) functions of NSSI and parent- and peer-related loneliness and a positive attitude towards aloneness was also observed.

Language: en

Keywords

Adolescents; Attitude towards aloneness; Non-Suicidal Self-Injury; Parent-related loneliness; Peer-related loneliness