The relationship between self-harm and college students

Date
2012-05
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Abstract

Self-harm within the college population has been growing over the last few decades, as more students are coming to college with diagnosed mental illnesses. Many studies have examined self-harm behaviors among clinical and non-clinical adolescents (Cross, 2007; Hall & Place, 2010; Janis & Nock, 2008), but few studies have taken the additional step to examine the college population, thus creating a gap within the research. More information and education is needed for higher education administrators concerning self-harm to understand the behavior and how to treat individuals who currently utilize this coping mechanism if administrators want to encourage these students to be successful in their academic pursuits. This study examines the relationship between college students and self-harm behavior – specifically, perceived climate within residence halls. A sample (N=41) was drawn from a large research institution in the southwest, and participants were asked to self-disclose information regarding self-harm behavior and residence hall climate; the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory (Gratz, 2001) and the Residence Hall Climate Scale (Kaya, 2004) are the instruments used. Results indicated insignificant relationships between residence hall climate and self-harm behaviors.

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Keywords
Mental health, College students, Self-mutilation, Psychology, pathological, Dormitory life
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