Self-harming behaviour among university students: A South African case study

Abstract

This study investigated the prevalence of self-harming practices among South African university students. Respondents were 201 students attending a small university of technology in South Africa (females = 55%; males = 45%). The students completed a survey on their self-harming behaviours by type, frequency, and context of occurrence. The data were used to descriptively profile self-harming behaviours among the students. Secondary analysis considered any group differences by gender. In total, 19.4% of the respondents reported deliberate self-harm. Mental pain was reported as the most prevalent category of behaviours, at 23.4% of the sample. Most of the types of deliberate self-harming behaviour were engaged in only once. Statistically significant associations were found between gender and substance abuse and risky general behaviour, respectively, where females were at higher risk of engaging in both self-harming behaviours.