Perceived Social Support and Connectedness in Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Engagement

Abstract

Perceived social support has been posited as an important factor in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) cessation. Although, previous research suggests that social connectedness is the mechanism through which perceived social support influences psychological wellbeing. Thus, the present study investigated whether social connectedness is the mechanism through which perceived social support functions to influence NSSI engagement. Fifty-six women with (Mage = 20.18, SD = 2.07) and 84 without (Mage = 20.24, SD = 1.98) a history of NSSI completed online measures of perceived social support and social connectedness. A mediation model was conducted with social connectedness in the relation between perceived social support from family, friends, and significant others and NSSI engagement. Findings revealed that social connectedness fully explained the relation between perceived social support from all sources and NSSI engagement. The results suggest that the relation between perceived social support and NSSI engagement is fully explained by the degree to which individuals report feeling connected to others. Implications for future research and practice will be discussed.