Citation

Ammerman BA, McCloskey MS. Assessment 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1073191120903081

PMID

32028776

Abstract

Only approximately half of individuals engaging in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) ever disclose their behavior. Yet there is a dearth of research aimed at understanding NSSI disclosure and the outcomes of choosing to disclose, such as social reactions to NSSI disclosure. The current study aimed to develop and validate a measure of perceived social reactions to the disclosure of NSSI, the Self-Injury Social Reactions Questionnaire (SI-SRQ).

RESULTS supported a three-factor structure of the SI-SRQ assessing positive (tangible aid, emotional support) and negative social reactions in undergraduate (n = 269), community (n = 217), and recent NSSI (n = 129) samples. The internal consistencies of the resultant subscales, in addition to the convergent validity, were also supported. The development of the SI-SRQ provides an avenue to enhance our knowledge of the relationship between social reactions to NSSI disclosure and disclosure outcomes, which may help inform educational efforts about responding to NSSI disclosures more effectively.

Language: en

Keywords

NSSI; disclosure; disclosure reactions; help-seeking behavior