Repetitive skin-cutting: parental bonding, personality and gender.
OBJECTIVE
This study examines (a) the extent to which repetitive skin-cutting is most prevalent among women and those with a history of trauma; and (b) among those skin-cutters without a history of trauma, the extent to which borderline personality disorder (BPD) features as a primary diagnosis and whether disturbed parental bonding might be associated with this form of self-harm.


METHODS
Details of gender and reported experiences of trauma were recorded for a large, consecutive sample of skin-cutters (N=517) who attended a general hospital. Psychiatric diagnoses and parental bonding instrument (PBI) scores were obtained for a subsample of skin-cutters (N=81) and comparison group participants without experiences of trauma.


RESULTS
No gender differences were observed among skin-cutters, most of whom reported experiences of trauma. BPD was recorded for a minority of those skin-cutters without a history of trauma. PBI scores discriminated between non-BPD skin cutters and non-BPD comparison participants without a history of trauma.


CONCLUSIONS
Although these results provide further confirmation of a potential association between prior trauma and repetitive skin-cutting, they rigorously challenge the validity of reported gender differences for this behaviour. Further, this study has identified that repetitive skin-cutting can arise independently of BPD and prior trauma. Clinical implications of these results and suggested directions for future research are discussed.
Marchetto
M J
MJ
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, University College London, UK. m.marchetto@londonmet.ac.uk
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015897:Comorbidity; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009769:Object Attachment; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010343:Patient Admission; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital; D012307:Risk Factors; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012867:Skin / Q000293:injuries*