The Effects of Interpersonal Trauma Experiences on Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in College Students: The Mediating Effects of Distress Tolerance and Anger Rumination

Objectives This study sought to explore the relationship between non-suicide self-injury, pain patience, and anger ruminants in Korean university students who experienced interpersonal trauma, and verify the parallel mediating effect of pain patience and anger ruminants in the relationship between interpersonal trauma experience. Methods Based on prior research and a literature review, a model was established in which distress tolerance and anger rumination parallelly mediate the relationship between interpersonal trauma experiences and non-suicidal self-injury among college students. To test this model, an online survey was conducted with 304 male and female adults in their 20s, currently enrolled in domestic universities, over five days from September 23 to September 27, 2022. Data cleaning, reliability analysis, descriptive statistics, and correlation analysis were performed using SPSS 23. Subsequently, the parallel mediation effects were tested using Process Macro 4.1, specifically employing Model 4. Results The results of the study are as follows. First, as a result of correlation analysis, interpersonal trauma experience showed a static correlation between non-suicidal self-injury and anger ruminant, and an inappropriate correlation with pain tolerance. Non-suicidal self-injury showed a static correlation with ruminations of anger, and an inappropriate correlation with endurance of bitter pain. Patience of pain showed an inappropriate correlation with ruminations of anger. Second, as a result of the verification of the parallel mediating effect, the pain tolerance was mediated in the relationship between interpersonal trauma and non-suicide self-injury, but the anger ruminant was not mediated. Conclusions This suggests that university students' personal trauma experience may be a healing factor in pain and tolerance in relation to non-suicidal self-injury.