Using physical pain to cope with the sting of emotional wounds: New study explores the minds of self-harmers

Self-harmers resort to extreme measures to manage emotional pain by deliberately causing injury to themselves. However, beneath the physical scars lives a frightened, discouraged, and often traumatized soul.

MONTREAL, Jan. 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- When dealing with unpleasant emotions, some people talk things out, some channel their feelings into a creative endeavor, and some focus their energy on altruistic actions. Self-harmers, on the other hand, resort to much more extreme measures to manage emotional pain. According to a study by PsychTests.com, people who engage in self-injury struggle with more than just stress and unhappiness.

Analyzing the data collected from 1,456 people from the general population who took the Hardiness Test, PsychTests' researchers compared the attitudes, personalities, and behaviors of people who engage in self-harm and those who don't. Here's what their study revealed:

Aside from physically injuring themselves, self-harmers also beat themselves up emotionally.

• 74% of self-harmers harshly criticize or insult themselves (compared to 37% of non-self-harmers).
• 53% see themselves as failures (compared to 12% of non-self-harmers).
• 45% said that they cannot possibly find anything to like about themselves (compared to 9% of non-self-harmers).

Self-harmers tend to have a victim mentality.

• 46% feel helpless to change or improve their lives (compared to 13% of non-self-harmers).
• 35% feel like they are at the mercy of the whims of fate, the universe, or other people (compared to 3% of non-self-harmers).
• 50% tend to assume the worst of people or situations (compared to 21% of non-self-harmers).
• 40% believe in bad luck (compared to 17% of non-self-harmers).

Self-harmers don't believe that they have what it takes to overcome challenges and hardships.

• 52% find it very difficult to move on after experiencing a major disappointment (compared to 25% of non-self-harmers).
• 41% allow fear to dictate their decisions (compared to 20% of non-self-harmers).
• 45% feel that there are so many things wrong with their lives that it seems futile to try to fix anything (compared to 10% of non-self-harmers).
• 43% experience frequent feelings of worthlessness (compared to 5% of non-self-harmers).

Self-harmers were also more likely to be victims of trauma or to have witnessed something traumatic, the most common being verbal abuse (52%), bullying (47%), sexual abuse or assault (35%), physical abuse or assault (32%), and harassment (31%). PsychTests' study also uncovered several mental health issues that self-harmers struggled with.

• 70% have a stressful family or personal life (compared to 32% of non-self-harmers).
• 83% had suicidal thoughts, created a suicide plan, or attempted suicide in the last year (compared to 17% of non-self-harmers).
• 35% were diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, such as Panic Disorder, PTSD, GAD, or OCD (compared to 15% of non-self-harmers).
• 32% were diagnosed with a mood disorder, such as Major Depression or Bipolar Disorder (compared to 11% of non-self-harmers).
• 13% were diagnosed with an eating disorder, such Anorexia, Bulimia, or Binge Eating Disorder (compared to 3% of non-self-harmers).

"Both physical and emotional wounds can hurt, but the emotional ones tend to scar much more deeply," says Dr. Jerabek, president of PsychTests. "Overwhelmingly unpleasant emotions, especially those associated with trauma, need an outlet. For some people, deliberately injuring themselves is an effective, albeit temporary and harmful, solution. The emotional aches are numbed or eclipsed by physical pain."

Self-harming injuries can include cutting or piercing the skin on the arms or legs with a sharp object, burning oneself, or punching or banging one's head on a hard surface, such as a wall.

"For a self-harmer, learning healthier and more effective strategies to manage stress and negative feelings is essential," adds Dr. Jerabek. It's also important to get to the root of self-harming tendencies, be it trauma, a recent tragedy, or other issues that the person is struggling to overcome … and deal with them. The good news is, 76% of the self-harmers in our sample have either seen a therapist in the last two years or are interested in starting therapy. Moreover, 64% indicated that they have hobbies, interests, or activities they enjoy, which is a good distraction and an effective method for expelling pent-up feelings. Most importantly, 52% of the self-harmers strongly believe that they deserve love, respect, and happiness, and this is a good sentiment with which to start on the path to healing."
How mentally tough are you? Find out with this test: https://testyourself.psychtests.com/testid/4189

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About PsychTests AIM Inc.
PsychTests AIM Inc. originally appeared on the internet scene in 1996. Since its inception, it has become a pre-eminent provider of psychological assessment products and services to human resource personnel, therapists and coaches, academics, researchers and a host of other professionals around the world. PsychTests AIM Inc. staff is comprised of a dedicated team of psychologists, test developers, researchers, statisticians, writers, and artificial intelligence experts (see ARCHProfile.com).

SOURCE PsychTests.com