Morris Charlotte, Simpson Jane, Sampson Mark, Beesley Frank
Psychological Therapies Services, Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, Ashton under Lyne, Lancashire, UK.
Clin Psychol Psychother. 2015 Mar-Apr;22(2):125-32. doi: 10.1002/cpp.1870. Epub 2013 Oct 1.
Theory and existing research suggest that emotion regulation capabilities develop during the formative years. Emotion dysregulation is associated with psychological distress and may contribute towards difficulties such as personality disorder and self-harm. This study aimed to explore the contexts in which individuals' narratives of emotional experience and self-harm developed. Eight participants who cut themselves and were seen by a personality disorder service were recruited. Semi-structured interviews were carried out, and interview transcripts were analysed using a narrative approach. Five temporal themes were generated: 'Seen and not heard', 'A big release … to get rid of all the pain and hurt', 'A vicious circle', 'A different world' and 'Trying to turn my life around'. The findings highlight how early experiences may have led participants to perceive emotions as unacceptable and subsequently suppress emotion in adulthood. Suppression of emotions appeared to be related to appraisals of emotions and to secondary emotional distress. Furthermore, cutting was linked to suppression of emotions as well as negative self-beliefs formed during childhood and reinforced through subsequent experiences. The study emphasizes the need for therapeutic approaches to focus on emotions when working with individuals who self-cut. Furthermore, the findings indicate the need for compassionate and validating health services that may help service users develop more optimistic future narratives.
理论和现有研究表明，情绪调节能力在成长阶段得以发展。情绪调节障碍与心理困扰相关，可能导致诸如人格障碍和自我伤害等问题。本研究旨在探索个体情感体验和自我伤害叙述形成的背景。招募了八名有自我切割行为且在人格障碍服务机构接受诊疗的参与者。进行了半结构化访谈，并采用叙事方法对访谈记录进行了分析。生成了五个时间主题：“被看见却无人倾听”、“一次巨大的释放……摆脱所有的痛苦与伤害”、“恶性循环”、“一个不同的世界”以及“试图改变我的生活”。研究结果凸显了早期经历可能如何致使参与者将情绪视为不可接受，并在成年后继而压抑情绪。情绪压抑似乎与对情绪的评估以及继发性情绪困扰有关。此外，自我切割与情绪压抑以及童年时期形成并通过后续经历强化的消极自我信念相关。该研究强调，在为自我切割者提供治疗时，治疗方法需要关注情绪。此外，研究结果表明需要有富有同情心且能给予肯定的医疗服务，这可能有助于服务使用者构建更乐观的未来叙述。
