The role of hopelessness and meaning in life in a clinical sample with non-suicidal self-injury and suicide attempts.

BACKGROUND Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicide attempts (SA) lie on a continuum of self-harm, and literature has shown that patients with suicidal intent constitute a more severe group. METHOD This study aimed to explore differences in the facets of hopelessness (Beck Hopelessness Scale) and meaning in life (Purpose in Life Test) in a clinical sample of 150 patients with a diagnosis of a mental disorder with: a) no NSSI/SA, b) only NSSI, or c) SA/NSSI and SA. RESULTS The results showed statistically significant differences between the groups in the affective dimension, but they showed similar levels of meaning in life in both groups. CONCLUSION These findings highlight that affective hopelessness can lead to suicide attempts, and that meaning in life underlies the continuum of self-harm. Implications for psychotherapeutic interventions are discussed.