Citation

Cernis E, Chan C, Cooper M. Clin. Psychol. Psychother. 2019; 26(3): 328-338.

Affiliation

Oxford Institute of Clinical Psychology Training, The Isis Education Centre, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/cpp.2354

PMID

30690804

Abstract

Deliberate self-harm in adolescents is an increasing clinical problem, but there is a limited understanding of the mechanisms causing or maintaining this behaviour. One proposed mechanism is that of dissociation. However, the role this mechanism may play is unclear: whilst some suggest that adolescents engage in self-harm to end the aversive experience of dissociation, others propose that self-harm is used to purposefully trigger a dissociative state to avoid emotional pain. This systematic review is the first to evaluate the available evidence regarding the relationship between dissociation and deliberate self-harm in adolescents (aged 18 or younger). Nineteen relevant studies were identified. These studies were limited by cross-sectional design and poor methods of measurement, but some important conclusions could be drawn. The majority of studies found a positive correlation between the severity of dissociation and the severity and frequency of deliberate self-harm in adolescents, and a small number of results suggest that dissociation mediates the relationship between childhood trauma and adolescent self-harm.

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Language: en

Keywords

adolescents; dissociation; self-harm; self-injury; teens