DINAMIKA STRATEGI KOPING STRES PADA MAHASISWA DENGAN RIWAYAT DELIBERATE SELF-HARM (DSH)

University students are vulnerable to experiencing academic and non-academic stress, which under certain conditions may lead to the emergence of Deliberate Self-Harm (DSH) as a maladaptive coping strategy. This study aims to understand the dynamics of stress coping strategies among students with a history of Deliberate Self-Harm. The study employed a qualitative method using a case study approach involving four undergraduate students enrolled at universities in the city of Yogyakarta. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and observations and analyzed using Miles and Huberman’s interactive analysis technique, which includes data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification. The findings indicate that the stressors experienced by students were predominantly non-academic, such as family problems, romantic relationships, peer relationships, and health conditions, which also affected their academic functioning. The initial coping strategies used by students to manage life problems gradually developed into maladaptive behaviors in the form of self-harm, which in some participants also elicited suicidal ideation. Although the functions and perceptions of self-harm varied among participants, they shared an awareness that such behavior did not resolve their problems, resulting in a fluctuating recovery process characterized by ambivalence between the desire to stop and the tendency to repeat the behavior. During recovery, participants developed more adaptive coping strategies, particularly emotion-focused coping, including seeking social support, cognitive reframing through reading, increasing engagement in productive activities, and religious coping. These findings underscore the importance of psychological interventions that focus on strengthening emotion regulation, cognitive restructuring, and spiritual aspects among students with a history of deliberate self-harm.