Table 5 Motivations for self-injury

To vent unbearable nervousness

35.5

50.5

10.765

0.001*

To seek sensation, such as taking drugs

5.2

8.3

1.660

0.198

To make my parents no longer angry with me

24.4

16.4

4.930

0.034*

To stop feeling lonely and empty

31.4

32.3

0.040

0.841

To get somebody’s attention

21.5

18.8

0.540

0.462

To punish myself

34.9

44.1

4.112

0.043*

To experience a sense of excitement

9.3

11.3

0.488

0.485

To prevent getting into trouble because of what I have done

11.0

9.7

0.243

0.622

To distract my attention from unhappy memories

34.9

54.8

18.750

0.000*

To change my body image and/or appearance

11.6

7.3

2.845

0.092

To become part of a community

11.6

8.6

1.246

0.264

To release anger

45.3

55.6

4.999

0.025*

To tell others how hurt I am

15.7

11.6

1.797

0.180

To experience the physical pain of a specific site when feeling other unbearable pain

16.9

19.6

0.589

0.443

To prevent others from having too high expectations of me

16.3

20.2

1.155

0.283

To relieve sadness or stop feeling depressed

39.5

67.2

37.080

0.000*

To stop thinking about killing myself

13.4

28.8

15.321

0.000*

To stop myself from committing suicide

11.0

22.8

10.597

0.001*

To make myself feel a sense of realness when I feel numb and unreal

11.0

25.3

14.456

0.000*

To release frustrated feelings

38.4

57.3

16.792

0.000*

To escape doing things I don’t feel like doing

20.9

26.1

1.686

0.194

To prove how much pain I can tolerate

7.6

14.2

4.937

0.026*

To experience sexual arousal

4.7

5.6

0.230

0.631

To reduce sexual arousal

6.4

5.6

0.120

0.730

Other (please specify)

2.9

8.9

6.439

0.011*

Total

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