Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a growing phenomenon observed in the Western world, as well as in Bulgaria. The proper understanding and characterization of the behavior requires the use of highly informative and reliable instruments. However, at the time of the study, there are no nationally accepted standards and no available comprehensive instrument in Bulgarian for the assessment of NSSI. The current pilot study attempts to approbate the informativeness of the Bulgarian versions of two instruments new to Bulgaria, which are commonly used in other countries - Inventory of Statements About Self-injury (ISAS) and Alexian Brothers’ Assessment of Self-Injury/Alexian Brothers’ Urge to Self-Injure (ABASI/ABUSI). We studied a non-clinical population of high school students in Varna, aged between 14 and 18 years. A total of 142 correctly answered scales were analyzed. Preliminary assessment suggests that the scales provide valid information to characterize the main method of self-injury, reason for self-injury, behavior immediately prior to self-injury and risk factors. Cutting was suggested to be the predominant method of self-injury, while the most common reasons for self-injury were self-punishment and affect regulation. A correlation between experienced emotional and verbal abuse and enduring and long-lasting thoughts about self-injury was also noted.
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