Examining online postings on a russian internet self-harm message board: Further evidence of addiction to self-harm?

INTRODUCTION: There has been an increasing amount of research examining the addictive nature of self-harm (non-suicidal self-injury). One such area of research has examined if themes related to addiction are present in self-harm board postings on imessages. Recent research from the UK suggests that such themes are evident. OBJECTIVES: The present aim was to build on previous research to examine if themes of addiction are present in other cultural contexts. METHODS: A sample of 254 online postings from a self-harm discussion forum on a Russian Internet message board were translated, extracted, read, and re-read before being coded using inductive content analysis to identify themes. RESULTS: Five themes were extracted and labelled: “Relationships with Family and Friends”, “Self-Blame and Hatred”, “Ongoing Battle”, “Positive affect”, “Other Mental Health Problems Difficulties”. These themes are somewhat similar to those found within messages in a UK based self-harm forum. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings, obtained from Russian respondents, provide further evidence demonstrating that repetitive self-harming seems to have addictive aspects.