The prevalence, nature, and functions of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in a South African student sample

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has become an increasingly worrying phenomenon among adolescents and young adults. This study sought to address the paucity of data about the prevalence, nature, and functions of NSSI in the South African context. The Inventory of Statements about Self-harm and the Beck Depression Inventory-II were administered to 623 high school and university students recruited for the study. The results indicate an NSSI prevalence rate of 56.2% of the sample, with interfering with wounds, pulling hair, banging heads and cutting being the most common NSSI behaviour. The behaviour appeared to be associated more with intrapersonal functions like affect regulation and self-punishment than with interpersonal functions like communicating distress and maintaining boundaries. The implications of the findings for interventions and future research are discussed.Keywords: nature; non-suicidal self-injury; prevalence; South Africa; student

A test of the Interpersonal-psychological theory of suicidal behaviour in a sample of mental health outpatients

Abstract : Tests of two key hypotheses of the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicidal Behaviour (IPTS) were conducted in a cross-sectional sample of 239 psychiatric outpatients. Results of regression analyses indicated that thwarted belongingness (TB) and perceived burdensomeness (PB) were independently associated with death ideation, with some degree of death ideation being reported by all participants who obtained higher than mean scores on measures of PB and TB. After controlling for demographic covariates and depressive symptoms, the main effects of TB, PB, hopelessness, and all two-way interactions, suicide ideation was significantly predicted by the interactive effects of high levels of: TB, PB, and hopelessness. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for future research on the theory and the clinical context

Testing the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicidal behaviour (ipts) in the South African context.

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2016.In spite of suicidality being a global mental health care problem, there has been relatively little empirical advancement in the conceptualization of suicide in recent years. Joiner’s (2005) Interpersonal-Psychological theory of suicidal behaviour (IPTS) attempts to answer the question of why people die by suicide. Joiner contends that people die by suicide because they can and because they want to. He proposes that the confluence of the interpersonal states of perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness is the condition under which death ideation transforms into suicidal ideation, and in the presence of a third construct, an acquired capability for suicide, leads to a lethal suicide attempt. The theory has been lauded as an empirical advancement in our understanding of suicidality, as it provides testable hypotheses that translate into practical interventions. However, tests of the theory have provided inconsistent support for its hypotheses. Using a sample of 239 psychiatric outpatients from nine sites, the main hypotheses of Joiner’s theory were tested in the present study. Study findings provide unqualified support for all key IPTS hypotheses: Perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness independently predicted death ideation; the confluence of these interpersonal states, in the presence of hopelessness regarding these states, predicted suicidal ideation and finally, the joint presence of acquired capability for suicide and suicidal ideation was associated with moderate to high risk for a suicide attempt. In addition, two new measures were developed for the present study: (a) the Death Inurement Scale and (b) the Interpersonal Hopelessness Scale, to address the limitations of available measures. Demographic and mental health predictors of IPTS constructs were also explored using regression analyses. The study findings suggest that the IPTS is a valid theory for understanding suicidal behaviour in the South African context. The findings are discussed with respect to their implications for theory, practice, and future research