Non-Suicidal Self Harm and Associated Factors among Students of Tertiary Institutions in Nsukka Local Government Area, Enugu State

Abstract

The study investigated non-suicidal self harm and associated factors among students of tertiary institutions in Nsukka Local Government Area, Enugu State. The study adopted the cross-sectional survey research design. The population for the study comprised of 25,394 students. The sample size consisted of 400 respondents drawn using multistage sampling technique. The instrument titled “Non-Suicidal Self Harm and Associated Factors Questionnaire (NSSHAFQ)” was used for data collection. The reliability of the instrument was determined using Spearman’s rank order correlation with indices of .792. Data was analysed using frequency, percentage, point-biserial correlation (r_pb) Chi- square (χ²) statistics. Results showed that overall, the proportion of students of tertiary institutions who engage in non-suicidal self harm was 24.7 per cent. There was no significant association between non-suicidal self harm and age (χ2 = 2.854, p = .091 > .05) and gender (χ2 = .595, p = .440 > .05). However, there was significant association between non-suicidal self harm and year of study (χ2 = 9.607, p = .008 < .05); place of residence (χ2 = 15.487, p = .000 < .05); and body mass index (χ2 = 10.454, p = .015 < .05). The study recommends among others that students should not hesitate to seek help from mental health professionals, counsellors, or therapists, as being able to communicate their emotions to professionals can help them find support and alternatives to self-harm.