Protective Factors Mitigating the Risk Between Early Life Trauma Exposure and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury
Abstract
Each year, as many as 3 million cases of childhood maltreatment are reported and substantiated (Sedlak, 2010). An even greater number likely go unnoted. Abuse that occurs in early childhood and adolescence has the potential to significantly impact development and lead to mental disorders and other negative sequelae. For example, exposure to early life trauma has been linked to later engagement in non-suicidal self- injury (NSSI; Lang & Sharma-Patel, 2011). As many as 58% of those exposed to trauma have reported engaging in NSSI (de Young, 1982). However, not all who are exposed to early life trauma go on to engage in NSSI. Although some researchers (i.e., Madsen & Abell, 2010) have begun to examine protective factors mediating between trauma exposure and general negative sequelae (e.g., mental illness), and others have begun to examine general protective factors for NSSI (ie., Wichstrom, 2000), no known studies to date have specifically examined protective factors that mediate the association between trauma exposure and NSSI. This study seeks to identify factors, which when present after trauma exposure, protect against future NSSI behaviors.
Subject Area
Psychology
Recommended Citation
Wren, Abigail L, "Protective Factors Mitigating the Risk Between Early Life Trauma Exposure and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury" (2012). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI13851563.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI13851563
