Understanding the Nature of Involuntary Discoveries of Self-Injury: A Content Analysis

Although growing research efforts have focused on voluntary disclosure of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), there are other ways people find out about another’s NSSI engagement. Of note, NSSI can be involuntarily discovered. The objective of the present study was to draw on lived experience perspectives and explore how these involuntary discoveries can happen, who may be involved, and where these discoveries occur. To do this, 139 university students all of whom reported lived experiences with involuntary discoveries of NSSI (Mage = 19.13 years, SD = 2.12; 87.1% women) took part in a qualitative study. Using content analysis of open-ended responses to an online survey, we identified three ways in which a person’s NSSI may be involuntarily discovered, namely: Incidental Discoveries, which occur by accident or happenstance; Perceived Invasive Discoveries, which are the result of the discoverer intentionally trying to uncover information about a person’s NSSI; and Indirect Discoveries, which occur when another person tells someone else about one’s NSSI without permission. Our findings also indicate that there is a great deal of variability in where these discoveries can occur and by whom. Overall, the present findings offer insights into the nature of involuntary discoveries of NSSI; research and clinical implications are discussed.