Examining online postings on a russian internet self-harm message board: Further evidence of addiction to self-harm?

Abstract

Introduction There has been an increasing amount of research examining the addictive nature of self-harm (non-suicidal self-injury). One such area of research has examined if themes related to addiction are present in self-harm board postings on imessages. Recent research from the UK suggests that such themes are evident. Objectives The present aim was to build on previous research to examine if themes of addiction are present in other cultural contexts. Methods A sample of 254 online postings from a self-harm discussion forum on a Russian Internet message board were translated, extracted, read, and re-read before being coded using inductive content analysis to identify themes. Results Five themes were extracted and labelled: “Relationships with Family and Friends”, “Self-Blame and Hatred”, “Ongoing Battle”, “Positive affect”, “Other Mental Health Problems Difficulties”. These themes are somewhat similar to those found within messages in a UK based self-harm forum. Conclusions The present findings, obtained from Russian respondents, provide further evidence demonstrating that repetitive self-harming seems to have addictive aspects.

Keywords

• self-harm
• Addiction
• Russian
• online