Why Do People Hurt Themselves? A study of aggression toward self in drug dependence

Abstract Background: The negative consequences of drug addiction can include increased aggression, and previous research has suggested a correlation between drug addiction and self-harm. However, the relationship between childhood trauma, self-aggression, and drug addiction has not been extensively investigated. Methods: The present study to explore the influence of childhood trauma on self-aggression in drug users under the age of 16, used the benefits and barriers model. The study analyzed the distal factors of self-aggressive intention in compulsory drug addicts and examined the mediating role of sense of life meaning as a barrier factor and sensation seeking as a benefit factor. To collect data, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), the Presence of Meaning in Life (MLQ-P), the Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (BSSS), and Aggression toward Self Scale (ATS) were administered to 625 male compulsory detoxification patients in a Sichuan compulsory detoxification facility. Results: The results showed no significant difference in self-aggression between methamphetamine and heroin addicts and identified a significant mediating effect of MLQ-P as a barrier factor and BSSS as a beneficial factor in predicting self-aggression. Conclusions: This study confirmed the applicability of the benefits and barriers model in the drug addicts, and proposed a parallel mediation model of CTQ affecting ATS with MLQ-P and BSSS as mediator variables. It can provide a theoretical basis for intervention in the recovery of drug addicts.