|
" Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in a Non-western Country and among Ethnic/Racial Minority University Students in Canada "
Gholamrezaei, Maryam
Heath, Nancy
| Document Type
|
:
|
Latin Dissertation
|
| Language of Document
|
:
|
English
|
| Record Number
|
:
|
1109121
|
| Doc. No
|
:
|
TLpq2470298392
|
| Main Entry
|
:
|
Gholamrezaei, Maryam
|
|
|
:
|
Heath, Nancy
|
| Title & Author
|
:
|
Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in a Non-western Country and among Ethnic/Racial Minority University Students in Canada\ Gholamrezaei, MaryamHeath, Nancy
|
| College
|
:
|
McGill University (Canada)
|
| Date
|
:
|
2019
|
| student score
|
:
|
2019
|
| Degree
|
:
|
Ph.D.
|
| Page No
|
:
|
189
|
| Abstract
|
:
|
Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) refers to deliberate self-inflicted damage to one's own body tissue by methods such as cutting, scratching, and self-hitting that lead to immediate tissue damage without conscious suicidal intent and for reasons not socially sanctioned (Nock, 2010). Although NSSI is gaining attention as a universal clinical condition (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), the field of NSSI is dominated by research findings from White Western samples. As a result, individuals from non-Western cultures and ethnic/racial minorities in the West have remained understudied. The intent of this dissertation was to provide a more culturally nuanced understanding of NSSI focusing on a sample of ethnic/racial minority university students in Canada as well as on a sample of university students in Iran. Manuscript 1 served as a literature review as it critically reviewed the empirical research on NSSI in non-Western countries and among ethnic/racial minority individuals who live in the West in order to better understand the patterns of NSSI among individuals who do not fall within the dominant White majority. Manuscript 2 examined the prevalence, characteristics, and risk factors of NSSI as well as its relations to suicide attempt in a sample of university students in Tehran, Iran. The findings revealed a lifetime NSSI prevalence of 12.3% (n = 68) and no gender differences. The results of a logistic regression analysis indicated higher levels of emotional awareness as a NSSI risk factor for females; however, no relationship was found between emotion dysregulation and a history of lifetime NSSI for male students. Finally, results of a separate logistic regression indicated lifetime NSSI engagement as a strong risk factor for suicide attempt above and beyond depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation across gender. These findings provided important new information about how NSSI manifests among university students in Tehran, Iran. The results are also suggestive of the fact that the relation between NSSI and emotion dysregulation, documented in the West, might vary across cultures. Manuscript 3 investigated the function of NSSI among a sample of university students in Iran who self-injured using the Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury (ISAS). Results of an exploratory factor analysis using the Bayesian estimation method revealed a three-factor model of NSSI functions including intrapersonal, social identification, and communication factors. These findings suggest different patterns of function of self-injury for university students in Iran, which are reflective of the sociocultural context of the study sample. Shifting the focus, Manuscript 4 examined NSSI prevalence and gender differences across different racial/ethnic groups in a large university sample in Canada. Help-seeking, mental health service use, and cultural responses to NSSI were investigated among an ethnically/racially diverse sample of university students who report self-injury. Results revealed that Asian, Southeast Asian, White, and multiracial backgrounds were most at risk of NSSI. Additionally, qualitative content analysis yielded three categories of cultural responses to the students' NSSI: responses embedded in stigma towards NSSI and psychological issues, responses rooted in emotional reactions, and constructive responses. Implications for cultural differences in help-seeking and attitudes towards NSSI were discussed. Overall, the results of this dissertation contributed to narrowing the gap in the NSSI research literature regarding underrepresented non-White samples and revealed new patterns regarding NSSI function and risk factors. An intersectionality among sociocultural factors and NSSI was also identified and discussed.
|
| Subject
|
:
|
Counseling psychology
|
|
|
:
|
Ethnic studies
|
| |