title: The relationship between dissociative symptoms, alexithymia, impulsivity, sexual abuse, and self-mutilation.
abstract: The overall purpose of the present study was to further our understanding of the mechanisms of self-mutilative behavior in a sample of female inpatients. The study found that self-mutilators (n = 103) displayed a greater degree of dissociative symptoms and alexithymia and a greater number of self-injurious behaviors, as well as higher rates of childhood sexual abuse, than nonmutilators (n = 45). In addition, the study found that among these variables, the number of self-injurious behaviors had the strongest relationship to self-mutilation. However, both dissociative symptoms and alexithymia were independently associated with self-mutilative behavior. Implications of our findings for clinicians and researchers are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zlotnick
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Shea
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pearlstein
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Costello
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Begin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology*; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D010343:Patient Admission; D010553:Personality Development; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012652:Self Mutilation / Q000523:psychology*; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000523:psychology