Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) poses a significant public health concern, affecting 17.2 percent of adolescents. Experiencing a traumatic event increases the likelihood of engaging in NSSI during adolescence. Traumatic experiences may trigger post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). These symptoms manifest in four clusters: re-experiencing, avoidance, hyper-awareness, and negative mood and cognition. Adolescents who have experienced trauma and engage in NSSI show increased PTSS compared to adolescents who do not engage in NSSI. Previous research indicates that the avoidance cluster of PTSS is particularly predictive of NSSI in adolescents with a history of childhood maltreatment or abuse. However, no studies to date have explored the PTSS cluster that is most strongly linked to NSSI in a general adolescent population without specifying trauma type. Identifying the PTSS clusters most associated with NSSI is crucial to understanding the underlying factors driving NSSI engagement. The proposed study aims to understand which PTSS clusters are most strongly associated with NSSI in a general population of adolescents who have experienced a traumatic event. This study will also consider the influence of sex, gender, and age on NSSI engagement. Measures of lifetime trauma, PTSS, NSSI, and depression, along with a demographic questionnaire, will be administered to adolescents. The results of this study have the potential to inform the development of targeted interventions tailored to specific PTSS clusters, mitigating NSSI and addressing this pressing public health concern.