Premium
The stigmatization of nonsuicidal self‐injury
Author(s) -
Burke Taylor A.,
Piccirillo Marilyn L.,
MooreBerg Samantha L.,
Alloy Lauren B.,
Heimberg Richard G.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.22713
Subject(s) - disfigurement , psychology , implicit association test , stigma (botany) , implicit attitude , clinical psychology , social stigma , social psychology , psychiatry , medicine , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , surgery , family medicine
Objective Despite the high prevalence of nonsuicidal self‐injury (NSSI), no research has systematically studied the occurrence and effects of stigmatization by others towards NSSI scarring. Methods The current study measured implicit and explicit attitudes among undergraduates towards NSSI scarring using the implicit association test and questionnaires to compare implicit and explicit biases towards NSSI with biases towards tattoos, a culturally sanctioned form of self‐determined marking, as well as nonintentional disfigurement. Results Our study demonstrated strong negative implicit and explicit biases towards NSSI when comparing NSSI to tattoos and nonintentional disfigurement. Conclusions Results extend previous research describing stigma towards mental illness and suggest a large negative bias towards NSSI. The importance of studying how stigma affects those who bear scarring from NSSI is discussed.