Psychological aspects of body perception in depression with non-suicidal self-injury

Abstract

Introduction Emotional regulation appears to be a key factor in self-injury. But body image also may play an important role in self-harming. Objectives Analysis of the relationship between non-suicidal self-injurious behavior and various aspects of body representation and body perception in adolescents and young women suffering from depression. Methods The study involved 85 women with endogenous depression. The answer to the question “Sometimes I purposely injure myself” was used as an indicator of self-harm. The methods include: SCL-90-R, Body Investment Scale (BIS), Physical Appearance Comparison Scale-Revised (PACS-R), Body Satisfaction Scale (BSS), Cambridge Depersonalization Scale (CDS). Results The relationship between self-injurious behavior and emotional, cognitive and behavioral characteristics of the self-body perception was revealed: more negative body image - dissatisfaction with its parts and the whole body (correlation with BSS_head ,238*, BSS_body ,472**, BSS_total_score ,453**), which is accompanied by behavioral manifestations - reduced “Protection” (correlation with BIS -,281**), higher rates of self-surveillance and comparisons of the self-body with others (PACS-R ,323**), depersonalization (CDS ,301**), body dissociation (CDS ABE ,346**), somatization (SCL-90-R ,226*). Conclusions For young women with depression, it has been shown that when self-harming, the self-body is “devalued”, perceived as “bad,” and the need to protect it is ignored. The severity of self-harm directly correlates with the phenomena of somatopsychic depersonalization. The results obtained may indicate that rejection of the self-body, “alienated” attitude and deprivation of the body of “subjectivity” can contribute to its use as a tool for solving psychological problems, which is a risk factor for the development, consolidation and aggravation of self-injurious behavior. Disclosure No significant relationships.

Keywords

• body perception
• depersonalization
• Depression
• self-harm