Self-injury, psychiatric symptoms, and defense mechanisms: Findings in an Italian nonclinical sample

Introduction: This study provides data on the rates, characteristics, and correlates of self-injury (SI) in an Italian nonclinical sample, a population previously unexamined within the SI literature. This study examined the associations between SI and defense mechanisms, as well as the differences between self-injurers (episodic and recurrent) and non self-injurers with regard to the severity and variety of their psychiatric symptoms and psychological distress. Materials and methods: Five hundred and seventy-eight university students (82.5% female; mean age = 22.3; S.D. = 3.4) were administered a battery of self-report questionnaires, including the "Deliberate Self Harm Inventory" for SI, the Response Evaluation Measure-71 for defense mechanisms, and the "Symptom Checklist-90-Revised" for psychological distress and psychiatric symptoms. Results: One hundred and nineteen participants (20.6%) reported having engaged in SI at least once during their lifetime. Individuals with recurrent SI (SI >= 5) reported significantly higher levels of all psychiatric symptoms and many maladaptive defense mechanisms than individuals without SI. Results also provided evidence for differences between individuals with recurrent and episodic SI. Conclusion: Results suggest that recurrent self-injurers are distinguished from both episodic self-injurers and non self-injurers by their greater use of maladaptive defense mechanisms, rather than their lesser use of adaptive defenses. Further, results suggest that recurrent self-injurers differ from episodic self-injurers not in terms of the severity of their psychiatric symptoms, but the variety and number of these symptoms. (C) 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.