Supplemental Material for Assessing DSM–5 Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Disorder in a Clinical Sample

Objective: Cross-sectional studies and prospective studies with long follow-up periods (e.g., years) have shown that lower levels of social support are associated with nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents. This study examined how short-term changes in social support may contribute to NSSI behavior and whether different sources of support (e.g., friends, family members) provide differential protective effects against NSSI. Methods: We examined fluctuations in NSSI and social support perceived from multiple sources among a sample of 118 high-risk adolescents hospitalized for serious self-harm risk. Participants provided daily reports of social support and any self-injurious behavior for the duration of their inpatient treatment (721 total observations, average observations per participant = 6.11). Multi-level models were used to assess variability in social support and how these fluctuations relate to whether or not an individual engages in NSSI. Results: Over one-third of participants reported engaging in NSSI at least once during inpatient hospitalization and self-reported social support varied considerably within-person across sources of support. Support perceived from family members and inpatient unit staff was inversely associated with NSSI, but no relationship was found between NSSI and support from other patients on the unit or friends outside of the unit. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the protective effects of social support for NSSI vary over short periods of time and that support perceived from adults is particularly relevant among this high-risk clinical sample. This study represents an important step in identifying risk factors to improve the detection and prevention of NSSI among adolescent inpatients.

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Characterizing gender differences in nonsuicidal self-injury: Evidence from a large clinical sample of adolescents and adults

Comprehensive Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.comppsych.2018.01.009 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 82 ◽

pp. 53-60 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Sarah E. Victor ◽

Jennifer J. Muehlenkamp ◽

Nicole A. Hayes ◽

Gregory J. Lengel ◽

Denise M. Styer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Clinical Sample ◽

Self Injury ◽

Adolescents And Adults ◽

Nonsuicidal Self Injury

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Nonsuicidal self-injury and identity formation in Indian clinical and nonclinical samples: A comparative study

International Journal of Social Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/0020764020943618 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 002076402094361

Author(s):

Amarendra Gandhi ◽

Koen Luyckx ◽

Alka Adhikari ◽

Dhruv Parmar ◽

Avinash De Sousa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Identity Formation ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Clinical Sample ◽

Psychiatric Patients ◽

Self Report ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Mental Health Issue ◽

Self Injury ◽

Two Samples ◽

Nonsuicidal Self Injury

Background: Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is being increasingly identified as an important emerging mental health issue in the West. Yet, NSSI has not been adequately studied in clinical and nonclinical contexts in countries like India. Aim: The aim of this study was to compare different features of NSSI between clinical and nonclinical samples in India. We also explored if the strength of the association between NSSI and disturbances in identity formation – a risk factor that can increase vulnerability to NSSI – was similar in the two samples mentioned above. Method: For the clinical sample, data regarding NSSI and identity formation were collected from 100 psychiatric patients (47.0% females, mean age = 34.76 years, SD = 12.76, 17–70 years) from an outpatient/inpatient psychiatric department of a large tertiary hospital in Mumbai, India. Nonclinical data were collected from 120 young adults studying in a medical college in Mumbai, India (51.7% females, mean age = 19.7 years, SD = 2.16, 17–28 years). Information regarding NSSI and identity were collected using self-report questionnaires. Results: Lifetime prevalence of NSSI in the clinical and nonclinical samples was found to be around 17% and 21%, respectively. Although the prevalence of NSSI did not significantly differ between the two samples, some features of NSSI did differ between the two groups. Finally, multigroup Bayesian structural equation modeling indicated that irrespective of the type of the sample (i.e. clinical or nonclinical), consolidated and disturbed identity significantly (negative and positive, respectively) predicted lifetime NSSI. Additionally, the association between the aforementioned identity variables and NSSI did not significantly differ between the two samples. Conclusion: The findings of these studies highlight the need for exploring issues related to identity formation in individuals who engage in NSSI irrespective of whether they suffer from a psychiatric disorder or not.

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