Big Five Personality Clusters in Relation to Nonsuicidal Self-Injury

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Personality Psychology

Background:

• Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a complex behavior with diverse functions.
• General personality traits, beyond personality disorders, may influence NSSI.
• Understanding personality links to NSSI is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify personality clusters based on the Big Five traits in individuals engaging in NSSI.
• To explore how these clusters differ regarding demographics, NSSI severity, and psychological factors.
• To examine associations between personality profiles and NSSI functions, emotional avoidance, alexithymia, distress, and emotion regulation.

Main Methods:

• Cluster analysis of Big Five personality traits was performed on a sample of university students who reported NSSI.
• Data were collected via anonymous online questionnaires.
• Variables examined included gender, age, NSSI severity indicators, NSSI functions, emotional avoidance, alexithymia, psychological distress, and emotion regulation strategies.

Main Results:

• Three distinct subgroups emerged: resilient, dysregulated, and disagreeable.
• Resilient and dysregulated profiles represented opposite ends of a continuum for NSSI severity, distress, alexithymia, and emotion regulation.
• Dysregulated traits were linked to affect regulation and self-punishment functions of NSSI, while disagreeable traits correlated with high alexithymia and distress.

Conclusions:

• Personality traits, specifically within the Big Five framework, can be clustered to describe individuals engaging in NSSI.
• These personality profiles offer insights into varying levels of NSSI severity, psychological distress, and emotion regulation.
• Findings support the development of tailored treatment approaches for NSSI based on distinct personality characteristics.