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Etiological Models of Non-suicidal Self-Injury and Eating Disorders

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Book cover Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Eating Disorders

Abstract

The high rate of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among individuals with eating disorders is a well-documented and clinically significant phenomenon (Svirko and Hawton, Suicide Life Threat Behav 37:409–421, 2007). Several shared risk factors have been identified for disordered eating and NSSI. These common risk factors were examined within the context of etiological models that have the potential to explain why they so frequently co-occur. Thus, data on the relevance of the shared risk factors are reviewed within the framework of multiple conceptual models for eating disorders and/or NSSI. Moreover, empirical data and the explanatory potential for the overlapping nature of these maladaptive behaviors are evaluated for each model. A summary of the commonalities and limitations of the various etiological models is then presented. Finally, the chapter concludes by highlighting clinical implications and future directions for the advancement of knowledge regarding this pernicious problem, with a focus on the need for additional research and the development of integrative, comprehensive etiological models for non-suicidal self-injury and eating disorders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA

    Kathryn H. Gordon, Mun Yee Kwan, Allison M. Minnich & Darren L. Carter

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  1. Kathryn H. Gordon
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  2. Mun Yee Kwan
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Correspondence to Kathryn H. Gordon .

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  1. Department of Psychology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Laurence Claes

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA

    Jennifer J. Muehlenkamp

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Gordon, K.H., Kwan, M.Y., Minnich, A.M., Carter, D.L. (2014). Etiological Models of Non-suicidal Self-Injury and Eating Disorders. In: Claes, L., Muehlenkamp, J. (eds) Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Eating Disorders. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40107-7_4

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