Peer influence and non-suicidal self-injury in adolescence : exploring the role of co-rumination

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between co-rumination and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in a community sample of adolescents. Analysis of the data from 92 adolescent self-injurers, 51 female and 41 male, indicated that there was a significant, positive correlation of small effect size between adolescents’ level of co-rumination and their frequency of self-injury in the past year. When genders were examined separately, this positive correlation of small effect size remained significant solely for male participants. Contrary to expectations, co-rumination failed to moderate the relationship between depression and NSSI frequency, and stressful life events failed to moderate the relationship between co-rumination and NSSI frequency. Results from further post-hoc analyses and related research on peer socialization suggest possible reasons for these results and future research avenues. The strengths, contributions, and clinical implications of this study are also discussed.