A Daily Diary Study of the Relation between Stress and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury and the Moderating Role of Emotion Dysregulation in Emerging Adulthood.

Research on exposure to stressors and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) in daily life has been lacking, particularly among emerging adults (aged 18-25 years). The aim of this study was to determine whether daily stressors predicted same-day and next-day NSSI thoughts and engagement, and whether emotion dysregulation moderated this relation. Participants included 160 emerging adults (83% female, Mage = 19.75, SD = 1.8, 44% White, 22% East Asian, 11% South Asian, and 23% other) who completed a baseline assessment and 14 days of daily diary entries which resulted in 1982 daily assessments (median compliance = 86%; IQR = 12-14). It was found that daily stressors significantly predicted same-day, but not next-day, NSSI thoughts and engagement and this relation was more pronounced for individuals with greater emotion dysregulation. The present study provides new insight into when individuals may be most at risk for NSSI, as well as which individuals may be most vulnerable.

A Person-Centered Investigation Into the Co-Development of Perceived Stress and Internalizing Symptoms Among Post-Secondary Students.

The early post-secondary years are regarded as a period of heightened vulnerability for stress and internalizing symptoms among emerging adults. However, there is a lack of research examining variability in stress and internalizing symptoms among students, the co-occurrence of stress and internalizing symptoms, or predictors of distinct profiles of stress and internalizing symptoms. To address these gaps in the literature, 1125 ethnically diverse first-year students (71% female; Mage = 17.96 years, SD = 0.69; 55% East or South Asian, 21% Caucasian, 24% other ethnicity) were surveyed three times across the first year of university. Latent growth mixture models revealed four distinct profiles (i.e., high distress, moderate increasing distress, low distress, high decreasing distress), in which patterns of perceived stress and internalizing symptoms co-occurred. Higher levels of exposure to stressful life events, identifying as female and/or LGBQ+ were associated with increasing and high distress profiles. The findings underscore variability in distress among students, as well as the strong associations between stressful experiences, perceived stress, and internalizing symptoms.

A Qualitative Investigation of the Positive and Negative Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Post-Secondary Students' Mental Health and Well-Being.

Evidence suggests that post-secondary students without pre-existing mental health concerns may have experienced worsening mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, relative to students with pre-existing mental health concerns. To clarify the psychological impacts of the pandemic, and elucidate why differences may exist among students, 20 interviews were conducted with emerging adults enrolled in university. Using directed content analysis, eight themes were identified: three more common among students with pre-existing mental health concerns, three more common among students without pre-existing mental health concerns, and two shared. Although all students experienced novel stressors during the pandemic, students without pre-existing mental health concerns reported greater increases in social and academic isolation, relative to students with pre-existing mental health concerns. Students with pre-existing mental health concerns also leveraged existing coping repertoires, which further supported their ability to manage pandemic-related challenges. Findings highlight how postsecondary institutions can bolster student well-being.

Stressful Experiences in University Predict Non-suicidal Self-Injury Through Emotional Reactivity.

Theoretical perspectives on non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI; direct and deliberate self-injury without lethal intent such as self-cutting or hitting) have long underscored the affective regulating properties of NSSI. Less attention has been given to the processes through which individuals choose to engage in NSSI, specifically, to regulate their distress. In the present study, we tested one theoretical model in which recent stressful experiences facilitates NSSI through emotional reactivity. Further, we tested whether the indirect link between stressful experiences and NSSI was moderated by several NSSI specific risk factors (e.g., having friends who engage in NSSI). Given the widespread prevalence of NSSI among community-based samples of adolescents and emerging adults, we surveyed 1,125 emerging adults in first-year university at a large academic institution (72% female, Mage = 17.96, 25% with a recent history of NSSI at Time 1). Participants completed an online survey three times (assessments were 4 months apart), reporting on their recent stressful experiences in university, emotional reactivity, NSSI, as well as three NSSI specific risk factors (i.e., close friend engagement in NSSI, high self-disgust, and low fear of pain). As expected, path analysis revealed that there was a significant indirect effect of recent stressful experiences on NSSI engagement, through emotional reactivity. However, this effect was maintained across moderator analyses. These novel findings underscore the salient role of proximally occurring stressors in the prediction of NSSI among emerging adults in university, and can inform developing theoretical perspectives on NSSI.

Stressful Experiences, Emotion Dysregulation, and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury among University Students.

Developmental theory on nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI; e.g., self-cutting without lethal intent) underscores that stressful life experiences may lead to heightened risk for NSSI, potentially by undermining individuals' emotion coping capacities. Given that the transition to university is often accompanied by new stressors for emerging adults, it is possible that stressors experienced during the university years may lead to heightened susceptibility for NSSI during this developmental period. Cross-sectional research supports a positive association between stressful experiences and NSSI among students; however, longitudinal research is needed to examine the direction of effects and explore potential mediating factors (i.e., emotion dysregulation). In the present study, university students (N = 1132; 70.5% female; mage = 19.11) reported on their stressful experiences in university, difficulties in emotion regulation, and NSSI each year for three consecutive years. Path analysis revealed a bidirectional association between stressful experiences and NSSI. Increased stressful experiences predicted increased risk for NSSI through emotion dysregulation, and NSSI predicted increased stressful experiences through emotion dysregulation. Overall, these findings provide new insight into the processes through which NSSI may be initiated and maintained, as well as elucidate the impacts of NSSI on emotion regulation and stressful life experiences in university.