Cognitive and emotional factors associated with the desire to cease non‐suicidal self‐injury

BACKGROUND: Due to cognitive and emotional differences between individuals who have and have not stopped self‐injuring, we explored these in the context of desire to stop. METHOD: Australian university students (n = 374) completed cognitive and emotional measures. Comparisons were made between those who had self‐injured in the past 12 months and those who had not, and between individuals who reported wanting to stop self‐injuring and those who did not. RESULTS: Approximately 20% of participants did not want to stop self‐injuring. Cognitive emotional factors (psychological distress, self‐efficacy to resist, difficulties regulating emotion, interpersonal functions, and outcome expectancies) differentiated individuals who had and had not stopped, but could not explain differences in desire to stop. CONCLUSION: Factors associated with desire to stop are not the same as factors underlying behavioural cessation. Motivational approaches to changes in self‐injurious behaviour would be beneficial for clinicians and their clients.