Research Symposium

BIO

Sierra Clair is a second-year student from Des Moines, Iowa. I plan to graduate in three years with degrees in psychology and social work, along with a minor in child development. After completing my undergraduate studies, I will pursue an MSW or a clinical psychology program. I am interested in future work within children's mental health and early intervention for mental disorders.

Indirect Direct Self Harm: Examining Functions of Self-Triggering with Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Content

Abstract

Our research explores self-triggering, a subcategory of mental diagnosis where individuals intentionally expose themselves to triggering stimuli, thereby placing themselves in a negative mental state. We aim to understand how self-triggering manifests in various mental disorders and how treatment can be adapted for individuals engaging in this behavior. This emerging research has seen little prior work in the field. Recognizing that self-triggering is a symptom of many disorders will enhance treatment for individuals by addressing all their needs. Self-triggering can appear in numerous disorders, including bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and PTSD. Identifying all the symptoms an individual exhibits is crucial to diagnose and treat them with the most effective methods. Considering all research within the realms of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), suicidal ideations, self-harm, and self-triggering is essential for our work. Interest forms are distributed across online platforms to participants who openly engage in self-triggering behavior. These individuals then participate in verbal report interviews, which include a suicidal risk assessment and other evaluations of their mental well-being, motivation, and desires. With this data, we analyze and categorize our results to further decipher what self-triggering is and how it manifests. In the future, we hope to provide a more precise description of self-triggering and identify the most effective treatments for these individuals. The implications of our research could lead to the development of new treatment strategies in psychology that cater to all individuals.

Keywords: Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Suicide