Deliberate self-harm, substance use and negative affect in nonclinical samples: A systematic review

BACKGROUND AND METHOD: A systematic literature review was conducted to examine associations between self-harm, substance use, and negative affect in nonclinical samples. RESULTS: Forty-two articles describing 36 studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria. Findings indicated that individ...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Moller, C., Tait, Robert, Byrne, D.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Online 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/20785
Description
Summary:BACKGROUND AND METHOD: A systematic literature review was conducted to examine associations between self-harm, substance use, and negative affect in nonclinical samples. RESULTS: Forty-two articles describing 36 studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria. Findings indicated that individuals who engage in substance use are significantly more likely to engage in self-harm. It was also found that negative affective states such as depression and anxiety are consistently associated with self-harm. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide some guidance in identifying those who are at increased risk of self-harm. Reducing these risk factors could be an important strategy in preventing self-harm behavior in the general population.