Development and Psychometric Validation of the Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Scale among University Students in Pakistan

Abstract

Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) is an increasingly prevalent mental health issue amongst adolescents and young adults in universities, as emotional, maladaptive coping and psychological factors increase. While NSSI is increasingly seen across the world, there are no culturally and norm-based valid assessment instruments in Pakistan to measure self-injurious behaviours among the university students. Total of 750 students of University of Gujrat were selected. The former (400 student samples) was used for Component Analysis (PCA) with Varimax and the latter (350 student sample) was used for Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) via Principal Component Analysis (PCA), both of which showed a four-factor solution: Behavioural Pattern, Functions of NSSI, Functional Impairment and Emotional Antecedents. The four-factor solution accounted for a good level of variance and had acceptable factor loadings. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) also revealed a relatively good model that confirming the factorial validity of the scale. The NSSI scale also showed good internal consistency as Cronbach's alpha was (α = .90) along with significant convergent and divergent validity. Study findings revealed that NSSI scale is reliable and valid to assess NSSI tendencies of University students in Pakistan. Practicing screening, assessment, and intervention in educational and health (clinical) contexts in Pakistan may be beneficial for psychologists, counsellors, researchers and other health professionals.