Body Regard in Nonsuicidal Self-Injury: Theoretical Explanations and Treatment Directions

2012 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 331-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer J. Muehlenkamp
Keyword(s):  
Challenging Behavior ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
The Self ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Theoretical Argument ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Self Injury ◽  
Youth And Young Adults ◽  
Nonsuicidal Self Injury

Nonsuicidal self-injury among youth and young adults remains a challenging behavior for clinicians to treat. Etiological models of self-injury have laid a foundation for the development of effective treatments that focus on the intrapersonal and interpersonal regulating functions of the behavior but have failed to consider other mechanisms that may facilitate the initiation and maintenance of the self-injury. This article presents a theoretical argument that body disregard is a necessary factor to include in etiological conceptualizations of nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior as well as within treatment approaches. Empirical literature is reviewed to provide a solid basis for the tenant that body disregard facilitates self-injury. Suggestions for incorporating treatment strategies that address body-related factors are offered along with some directions for future research.

scholarly journals Behavioral measures of impulsivity and compulsivity in adolescents with nonsuicidal self-injury

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Nina M. Lutz ◽  
Samuel R. Chamberlain ◽  
Ian M. Goodyer ◽  
Anupam Bhardwaj ◽  
Barbara J. Sahakian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Gambling Task ◽  
Reversal Task ◽  
Behavioral Measures ◽  
Self Injury ◽  
Neurocognitive Measures ◽  
Nonsuicidal Self Injury

Abstract Background Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is prevalent among adolescents and research is needed to clarify the mechanisms which contribute to the behavior. Here, the authors relate behavioral neurocognitive measures of impulsivity and compulsivity to repetitive and sporadic NSSI in a community sample of adolescents. Methods Computerized laboratory tasks (Affective Go/No-Go, Cambridge Gambling Task, and Probabilistic Reversal Task) were used to evaluate cognitive performance. Participants were adolescents aged 15 to 17 with (n = 50) and without (n = 190) NSSI history, sampled from the ROOTS project which recruited adolescents from secondary schools in Cambridgeshire, UK. NSSI was categorized as sporadic (1-3 instances per year) or repetitive (4 or more instances per year). Analyses were carried out in a series of linear and negative binomial regressions, controlling for age, gender, intelligence, and recent depressive symptoms. Results Adolescents with lifetime NSSI, and repetitive NSSI specifically, made significantly more perseverative errors on the Probabilistic Reversal Task and exhibited significantly lower quality of decision making on the Cambridge Gambling Task compared to no-NSSI controls. Those with sporadic NSSI did not significantly differ from no-NSSI controls on task performance. NSSI was not associated with behavioral measures of impulsivity. Conclusions Repetitive NSSI is associated with increased behavioral compulsivity and disadvantageous decision making, but not with behavioral impulsivity. Future research should continue to investigate how neurocognitive phenotypes contribute to the onset and maintenance of NSSI, and determine whether compulsivity and addictive features of NSSI are potential targets for treatment.

scholarly journals “Smartphone Apps Are Cool, but Do They Help Me?”: A Qualitative Interview Study of Adolescents’ Perspectives on Using Smartphone Interventions to Manage Nonsuicidal Self-Injury

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 3289
Author(s):  
Anja Čuš ◽  
Julian Edbrooke-Childs ◽  
Susanne Ohmann ◽  
Paul L. Plener ◽  
Türkan Akkaya-Kalayci
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Self Injury ◽  
Qualitative Interview Study ◽  
Mental Health Interventions ◽  
Nonsuicidal Self Injury

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a major mental health problem associated with negative psychosocial outcomes and it most often starts in early adolescence. Despite this, adolescents are rarely involved in informing the development of interventions designed to address their mental health problems. This study aimed to (1) assess adolescents’ needs and preferences about future interventions that are delivered through smartphones and (2) develop a framework with implications for designing engaging digital mental health interventions. Fifteen adolescent girls, aged 12–18 years, who met diagnostic criteria for a current NSSI disorder and were in contact with mental health services, participated in semi-structured interviews. Following a reflexive thematic analysis approach, this study identified two main themes: (1) Experiences of NSSI (depicts the needs of young people related to their everyday experiences of managing NSSI) and (2) App in Context (portrays preferences of young people about smartphone interventions and reflects adolescents’ views on how technology itself can improve or hinder engaging with these interventions). Adolescent patients expressed interest in using smartphone mental health interventions if they recognize them as helpful, relevant for their life situation and easy to use. The developed framework suggests that digital mental health interventions are embedded in three contexts (i.e., person using the intervention, mental health condition, and technology-related factors) which together need to inform the development of engaging digital resources. To achieve this, the cooperation among people with lived experience, mental health experts, and human computer interaction professionals is vital.

The Development of a Measure to Assess Social Reactions to Self-Injury Disclosure

Assessment ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 225-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooke A. Ammerman ◽  
Michael S. McCloskey
Keyword(s):  
Factor Structure ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
The Self ◽  
Social Reactions ◽  
Self Injury ◽  
Negative Social Reactions ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Three Factor ◽  
Nonsuicidal Self Injury

Only approximately half of individuals engaging in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) ever disclose their behavior. Yet there is a dearth of research aimed at understanding NSSI disclosure and the outcomes of choosing to disclose, such as social reactions to NSSI disclosure. The current study aimed to develop and validate a measure of perceived social reactions to the disclosure of NSSI, the Self-Injury Social Reactions Questionnaire (SI-SRQ). Results supported a three-factor structure of the SI-SRQ assessing positive (tangible aid, emotional support) and negative social reactions in undergraduate ( n = 269), community ( n = 217), and recent NSSI ( n = 129) samples. The internal consistencies of the resultant subscales, in addition to the convergent validity, were also supported. The development of the SI-SRQ provides an avenue to enhance our knowledge of the relationship between social reactions to NSSI disclosure and disclosure outcomes, which may help inform educational efforts about responding to NSSI disclosures more effectively.

scholarly journals Understanding the self in nonsuicidal self-injury: A conceptual review and framework for future research

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsea Evanna Boccagno ◽  
D.Phil. Jill Miranda Hooley
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Treatment Targets ◽  
Self Injury ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Self Potential ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Nonsuicidal Self Injury

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a widespread and dangerous behavior. Despite increasing understanding of the risk factors for NSSI, this behavior remains highly prevalent, highlighting the need for an extension of current research and more precise treatment targets. Specifically, research examining self-perception in NSSI provides a fruitful foundation for future work. Mounting studies indicate that self-concept disturbances are implicated in NSSI. Yet it remains unclear how different components of self-concept—such as self-criticism and identity confusion—are associated for people with NSSI. Furthermore, research in this domain uses distinct definitions and measures of self-concept disturbance, rendering it difficult to integrate findings across studies. This conceptual review provides the first summary to date synthesizing research on self-concept (content and structure) in NSSI, highlights research questions to address, and outlines suggestions for future work. Recommendations for NSSI research examining self-concept include: (a) increasing the consistency of terms used; (b) examining relationships between self-concept content and structure; (c) exploring the extent to which measures of self-concept and identity tap into the same phenomena; (d) assessing self-concept across different levels of analysis; and (e) identifying treatment targets for distinct self-related disturbances (e.g., heightened self-criticism versus an inconsistent sense of self). Potential intervention targets are discussed.

scholarly journals Open to interpretation? Inconsistent reporting of lifetime nonsuicidal self-injury across two common assessments

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kealagh Robinson ◽  
Marc Wilson
Keyword(s):  
American Psychological Association ◽  
Presentation Order ◽  
Future Research ◽  
American Psychological ◽  
Single Item ◽  
Common Assessments ◽  
Self Injury ◽  
Memory Facilitation ◽  
Prevalence Estimates ◽  
Nonsuicidal Self Injury

© 2020 american psychological association. Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is typically assessed using either single-item questionnaires or checklists of common behaviors, but preliminary research suggests that checklists produce higher lifetime prevalence rates. In 2 preregistered studies (combined n = 1,364), we tested whether memory cueing afforded by behavioral checklists accounts for this discrepancy. Participants reported their lifetime NSSI history using both a single-item and a checklist, with presentation order randomized across participants. Nearly a third of participants reported inconsistent NSSI histories on the 2 assessments, with participants 1.57 times more likely to report an NSSI history on a checklist than on a single-item. Counter to the memory account, this discrepancy was evident even when participants completed the checklist first, suggesting that the increased prevalence estimates captured by checklists are unlikely to simply reflect memory facilitation. Across the 2 samples, 12.5% of participants would have been incorrectly screened out in 2-step assessments; these participants were more likely to have engaged in NSSI historically, less likely to self-injure by cutting, and (in Study 2 only) were more likely to be men. These studies suggest that the inconsistencies across 2 of the most common NSSI assessments arise because people dissimilar to the lay conceptualization of self-injury are less likely to endorse a single-item, even when they have affirmed engaging in self-injury behaviors on a checklist. We argue that single-item and checklist assessments capture different aspects of NSSI, such that future research should distinguish between behaviorally identified NSSI assessed with behavioral checklists and self-identified NSSI assessed with single-item assessments.

“Smartphone apps are cool, but do they help me?” A thematic analysis of adolescents’ expectations on apps to manage Nonsuicidal Self-injury (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anja Čuš ◽  
Julian Edbrooke-Childs ◽  
Susanne Ohmann ◽  
Paul L. Plener ◽  
Türkan Akkaya-Kalayci
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Health Condition ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Self Injury ◽  
Mental Health Interventions ◽  
Nonsuicidal Self Injury

BACKGROUND Nonsuicidal Self-injury (NSSI) is a major mental health problem associated with negative psychosocial outcomes and it most often starts in early adolescence. Although recent technology-enabled interventions show promise in managing NSSI, they rarely consider expectations of their intended target group. OBJECTIVE This study explored patients’ experiences, needs and preferences about future digital interventions that are delivered through smartphones. METHODS We interviewed fifteen young females aged 12-18 who engaged in NSSI in the past year and were in contact with mental health services. The data was analysed following a thematic analysis approach and the findings were discussed in one follow up interview to include member checking. RESULTS This study identified two main themes that represent shared patterns of meaning across the interviews. The first theme Experiences of NSSI depicts the experiences and needs of young people with NSSI. The second theme App in Context portrays preferences of young people about smartphone interventions and includes adolescents’ perspectives on how technology can improve or hinder engaging with these interventions. CONCLUSIONS Young people show interest in using smartphone interventions if they recognize them as helpful, relevant for their life situation and easy to use. The authors adopt these study findings to discuss how the future NSSI and mental health interventions could be more engaging through taking into account three contexts in which mental health interventions are embedded (mental health condition, person using the intervention, and technology-related factors). The cooperation between mental health experts, human computer interaction professionals and people with lived experience is vital to advance the development of digital resources for mental health and NSSI management.

scholarly journals The Association Between Masculinity and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan D. Green ◽  
Jaclyn C. Kearns ◽  
Annie M. Ledoux ◽  
Michael E. Addis ◽  
Brian P. Marx
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Negative Emotionality ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Masculine Norms ◽  
Self Injury ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
Emotion Skills ◽  
Nonsuicidal Self Injury

Several known risk factors for nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), such as negative emotionality and deficits in emotion skills, are also associated with masculinity. Researchers and clinicians suggest that masculine norms around emotional control and self-reliance may make men more likely to engage in self-harm. Masculinity has also been implicated as a potential risk factor for suicide and other self-damaging behaviors. However, the association between masculinity and NSSI has yet to be explored. In the current study, a sample of 912 emerging adults from two universities in the Northeastern United States completed a web-based questionnaire assessing adherence to masculine norms, engagement in NSSI, and known risk factors for NSSI (demographics and number of self-injurers known). Stronger adherence to masculine norms predicted chronic NSSI (five or more episodes throughout the life span) above and beyond other known risk factors. Adherence to masculine norms was related to methods of NSSI. Clinical implications are discussed, including discussions of masculine norms in treatment settings. Future research should examine what specific masculine norms are most closely linked to NSSI and other self-damaging behaviors.

Affect toward the self and self-injury stimuli as potential risk factors for nonsuicidal self-injury

2018 ◽  
Vol 260 ◽  
pp. 279-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn R. Fox ◽  
Jessica D. Ribeiro ◽  
Evan M. Kleiman ◽  
Jill M. Hooley ◽  
Matthew K. Nock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Potential Risk ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Injury ◽  
Potential Risk Factors ◽  
Nonsuicidal Self Injury

scholarly journals Open to interpretation? Inconsistent reporting of lifetime nonsuicidal self-injury across two common assessments

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kealagh Robinson ◽  
Marc Wilson
Keyword(s):  
American Psychological Association ◽  
Presentation Order ◽  
Future Research ◽  
American Psychological ◽  
Single Item ◽  
Common Assessments ◽  
Self Injury ◽  
Memory Facilitation ◽  
Prevalence Estimates ◽  
Nonsuicidal Self Injury

© 2020 american psychological association. Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is typically assessed using either single-item questionnaires or checklists of common behaviors, but preliminary research suggests that checklists produce higher lifetime prevalence rates. In 2 preregistered studies (combined n = 1,364), we tested whether memory cueing afforded by behavioral checklists accounts for this discrepancy. Participants reported their lifetime NSSI history using both a single-item and a checklist, with presentation order randomized across participants. Nearly a third of participants reported inconsistent NSSI histories on the 2 assessments, with participants 1.57 times more likely to report an NSSI history on a checklist than on a single-item. Counter to the memory account, this discrepancy was evident even when participants completed the checklist first, suggesting that the increased prevalence estimates captured by checklists are unlikely to simply reflect memory facilitation. Across the 2 samples, 12.5% of participants would have been incorrectly screened out in 2-step assessments; these participants were more likely to have engaged in NSSI historically, less likely to self-injure by cutting, and (in Study 2 only) were more likely to be men. These studies suggest that the inconsistencies across 2 of the most common NSSI assessments arise because people dissimilar to the lay conceptualization of self-injury are less likely to endorse a single-item, even when they have affirmed engaging in self-injury behaviors on a checklist. We argue that single-item and checklist assessments capture different aspects of NSSI, such that future research should distinguish between behaviorally identified NSSI assessed with behavioral checklists and self-identified NSSI assessed with single-item assessments.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document