Exploring the Phenomenon Mental Health's Toughness in This Case Behaviour of Self-Harm Among University Students: A Multifaceted Approach

Abstract

Almost all university students in Indonesia experience self-harm, and this is increasing every year. High internet interaction and information bias are predictors of self-harm behavior in university students. This behavior is also influenced by beliefs, emotion regulation, and decision-making skills in responding to situations. The purpose of this study was to validate and explore the occurrence of the phenomenon of self-harm in Indonesian university students, as well as the motives and impact on students' developmental tasks.  A total of 931 university students were involved through an online-based Self-Harm Inventory (SHI) questionnaire. Validity using Pearson correlation analysis showed high significance levels of 0.01 and 0.05 (2-tailed). Reliability using Cronbach's Alpha analysis resulted in a score of 0.885 (above the minimum of 0.6). Quantitative descriptive analysis conducted with percentage formula data processing application resulted in information (1) females tend to experience higher self-harm than males; (2) victims of bullying are at higher risk of self-harm than non-victims of bullying; (3) students who experience anxiety have a higher potential for self-harm than non-anxiety; (4) factors of parental education and college origin also affect self-harm behavior. The findings suggest practical implications in exploring the nature of the self-harm phenomenon as well as the design of intervention programs to reduce the risk of experiencing self-harm behavior of university students in Indonesia.