Differences in Emotion Regulation Indices in Participants With a History of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Based on Sexual and Gender Minority Identity

Abstract

Theories posit nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) regulates emotions through the reduction of negative affect and increasing of positive affect, and prior research using daily diary methods show differences across emotion dynamics (i.e., mean level, variation, inertia, and differentiation) based on NSSI history. The current study aimed to replicate and expand work done by Bresin (2014) by examining emotion dynamics using ecological momentary assessment and exploring group differences based on sexual and gender minority identity. To our knowledge, no research has explored emotion dynamic differences based on identity. We hypothesized a replication of Bresin’s (2014) results and conducted exploratory analyses for sexual and gender minority status. Analyses of ecological momentary assessment data (5 times a day for 28 days) showed that individuals with a history of NSSI reported higher mean level and within-person variance of negative affect, and lower positive affect inertia. Sexual and gender minority individuals also reported lower positive affect inertia. Interaction effects found that sexual and gender minority individuals with a history of NSSI had lower negative affect inertia compared to cisgender straight individuals with a history of NSSI. Results from Bresin (2014) were replicated for mean-level and within-person variation of negative affect, as well as positive affect inertia using ecological momentary assessment data, strengthening the conclusion that individuals with a history of NSSI differ from controls across emotion dynamics. Future research should assess the role of minority stress on this association to continue to explore the differing results based on sexual and gender minority identity. The results of this study should inform theory and treatment surrounding affect and NSSI.