Characteristics and predictors of self‐mutilation: a study of incarcerated women

Abstract Background  Research on self‐mutilating behaviour and incarcerated adults has found that nearly 50% of people in prison participated in it (Holley and Alborleda‐Florez, 1988). This is an enormous liability for the criminal justice system as well as a human concern. Aims/hypotheses  The research question for this study was to explore whether a history of childhood abuse in a sample of incarcerated women would increase their likelihood of self‐mutilation. Methods  Participants were 256 female inmates from five prisons in a large southern state who volunteered to attend a 12‐week trauma and abuse psychosocial intervention group. The participants were evaluated for childhood abuse, criminal history, risk‐taking behaviour and self‐mutilation. Data are presented regarding individual, criminal, abuse, family and risk‐taking behaviours comparing self‐mutilators (n = 109) with non‐self‐mutilators (n = 147). Results  The self‐mutilation group was more likely to report higher rates of emotional, sexual and physical abuse and on clinical significance scales of anxiety, depression, dissociation, impaired self‐reference, anger, tension reduction and intrusive experiences. The self‐mutilation group was also younger and was more often Caucasian. The results of the regression model suggest that a history of suicide attempts, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, bingeing and vomiting and impaired self‐reference are predictors of self‐mutilation. Conclusions/implications for practice  Recommendations and implications for practice are discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.