Self-injurious behavior in a community sample of young women: relationship with childhood abuse and other types of self-damaging behaviors.
OBJECTIVE
The prevalence of self-injurious behavior (SIB) in the general population is unknown. The present study aims to assess the prevalence and dimensionality of a large spectrum of SIBs in a community sample of young women.


METHODS
A cohort of female subjects aged 18 through 25 years resident in 2 areas of a large city was involved in the study, which was conducted from December 1996 to August 1998. Subjects (N = 934) underwent a clinical interview to assess the presence of SIBs, childhood sexual and physical abuse, suicidality, use of illicit drugs, alcohol abuse, and DSM-IV lifetime eating disorder diagnosis.


RESULTS
About 24% of the sample reported some type of SIB. The factor analysis revealed that the different types of SIBs tend to group into 4 dimensions: 2 characterized by impulsive features and the other 2 by compulsive features. Body image disturbance (p < .01), emotional distress (p < .001), alcohol/substance misuse (p < .05), and suicide attempts (p < .01) were significantly associated with both compulsive and impulsive SIBs. In addition, the presence of impulsive SIBs was significantly predicted by a lower level of education (p < .05), lifetime eating disorders (p < .01), and childhood abuse (p < .05), whereas skin picking/self-biting was predicted by childhood sexual molestation (p < .04) and childhood rape (p < .005).


CONCLUSIONS
Self-injurious behaviors are common among young women. There is a significant association between SIBs and other forms of direct and indirect self-damaging behaviors, including alcohol abuse, use of illicit substances, suicidality, and eating disorders. Further research is needed to better understand the nosology of this spectrum of behaviors.
Favaro
Angela
A
Department of Neurosciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Ferrara
Silvia
S
Santonastaso
Paolo
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology; D014505:Urban Population