What Recovery Means to Me : A Qualitative Exploration of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Recovery Experiences Among First-Year University Students

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is prevalent among adolescents and young adults. The transition to post-secondary education represents a period of heightened stress for many emerging adults, but may also create opportunities for NSSI recovery to occur. New social relationships and access to campus-based mental health resources may contribute to positive change for some students. However, little is known about post-secondary students’ NSSI recovery experiences, or what factors students consider to be central to this process. To address these gaps, it was explored how first-year university students conceptualized and experienced NSSI recovery. Open-ended survey responses from 151 first-year students (Mage = 18.13, 73% women) who self-identified as being in NSSI recovery were analyzed. Five themes were developed through reflexive thematic analysis. Themes illustrated recovery in this context as an evolving, multidimensional process, characterized by gradual skill development, shifts in self-perception, relational support, and ongoing perseverance. Recovery among first-year students was defined as a dynamic, lived process of gradual change that unfolds through sustained active effort. Findings offer direction for post-secondary intervention efforts that aim to support students with lived NSSI experience during the transition to university.