Emotion dysregulation and mindfulness in non-suicidal self-injury

This study examined the association between mindfulness and engagement in non-suicidal self-injury (ENSSI) and whether emotion dysregulation explains this association. A secondary objective was to explore the difference between participants who engaged in a suicide attempt and those who only engaged in non-suicidal self-injury. A sample of 201 psychiatric patients (62.7% female; age range: 18–71 years old) participated in the study. The path analysis indicated that trait mindfulness was negatively associated with all emotion dysregulation dimensions and that one of these dimensions, impulse control difficulty, was associated with higher ENSSI. Moreover, impulse control difficulty was associated with increased odds of having attempted suicide. These findings suggest that mindfulness is a relevant construct to ENSSI with and without a suicide attempt. Future studies should investigate mindfulness-based interventions for ENSSI and the role played by the capacity to control impulses when experiencing negative emotions.