Objective Non-experimental survey and field research support the notion that alcohol use may be associated with deliberate self-harm (DSH) across the spectrum of lethality, from non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) through suicide. Non-experimental studies, however, provide limited information about potential causal relationships between alcohol consumption and DSH. Two previous experiments showed that a relatively high-dose of alcohol increases the likelihood of engaging in DSH in the laboratory, defined by the self-administration of a “painful” shock (the Self-Aggression Paradigm: SAP; Berman & Walley, 2003; McCloskey & Berman, 2003). In this study, we examined whether (a) lower doses of alcohol also elicit DSH, (b) this effect occurs for women as well as men, and (c) individual differences in past non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) moderate alcohol’s effects on DSH. Method Non-alcohol dependent men and women (N = 210) were assigned either to .00%, .05%, .075%, or .100% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) drink conditions and completed a self-rating scale of NSSI (the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory: DSHI; Gratz, 2001). As in previous SAP studies, DSH was operationalized by shock setting behavior during a competitive reaction-time game. Results Overall, a greater proportion of participants in the .075% and .100% (but not .050%) alcohol conditions self-selected a “painful” shock to administer compared to participants in the placebo condition. NSSI predicted self- administration of painful shocks, but did not moderate the alcohol effect. Conclusions Results provide experimental evidence to support the notion that interventions for self-harm should include processes to monitor and limit alcohol intake.

Mere repeated administration of anxiety sensitivity (AS) measures (i.e., fear of anxiety-related sensations) leads to predictably lower scores, and this effect cannot be attributed to regression to the mean or the indirect provision of anxiety related information. The purpose of this study was to determine whether (a) the number of times an anxiety sensitivity measure is administered within a 2 week time period, and (b) the elapsed time between the initial and subsequent administrations influence mean reductions in anxiety sensitivity scores and test-retest correlations. Fifty-five participants were randomly assigned to complete a self-report measure of anxiety sensitivity (the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-Revised; ASI-R) two, four, or eight times over a 2-week period. Results indicated that ASI-R total scores declined from the first administration to the second administration only. The time elapsed between the first and second administrations ranged from 1 day to 2 weeks. However, the elapsed time between the first and second administrations did not moderate the observed decline in scores. In addition, examination of test-retest correlations provided qualified evidence that the reliability of the measure changes with repeated exposure to the ASI-R. Implications for the valid assessment of AS are discussed.

Background: Treatment research for dissociative identity disorder (DID) and closely related severe dissociative disorders (DD) is rare, and has been made more difficult by the lack of a reliable, valid measure for assessing treatment progress in these populations. Objective: This paper presents psychometric data for therapist and patient report measures developed to evaluate therapeutic progress and outcomes for individuals with DID and other DD: the Progress in Treatment Questionnaire – Therapist (PITQ-t; a therapist report measure) and the Progress in Treatment Questionnaire – Patient (PITQ-p; a patient self-report measure). Method: We examined the data of 177 patient–therapist pairs (total N = 354) participating in the TOP DD Network Study, an online psychoeducation programme aimed at helping patients with DD establish safety, regulate emotions, and manage dissociative and posttraumatic symptoms. Results: The PITQ-t and PITQ-p demonstrated good internal consistency and evidence of moderate convergent validity in relation to established measures of emotional dysregulation, dissociation, posttraumatic stress disorder, and psychological quality of life, which are characteristic difficulties for DD patients. The measures also demonstrated significant relationships in the hypothesized directions with positive emotions, social relations, and self-harm and dangerous behaviours. The patient-completed PITQ-p, which may be used as an ongoing assessment measure to guide treatment planning, demonstrated evidence of stronger relationships with established symptom measures than the PITQ-t. Conclusions: The PITQ-t and PITQ-p merit use, additional research, and refinement in relation to the assessment of therapeutic progress with patients with DD.

The LDAEP has the potential to be used as a noninvasive index of intentional self-harm disposition. Additional studies are needed using other populations, including women and treatment-seeking individuals, to determine if the LDAEP more broadly discriminates risk of self-injuring.

Psychopathy has long been associated with aggressive behavior; however, the neurochemical underpinnings of this relationship are poorly understood. Serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmitter system abnormalities have been associated with provoked aggression in general. In addition, 5-HT dysregulation has been linked to empathy, a trait that is lacking in individuals who score high on primary psychopathy. The purpose of this study was to determine if 5-HT modulates the relationship between psychopathic traits and aggression. Participants (N = 47) completed a self-report measure of psychopathy and were then administered either 40 mg paroxetine (acutely augmenting 5-HT) or placebo. Aggression was assessed during a competitive reaction-time game in which electric shocks were exchanged with an increasingly provocative fictitious opponent. Results indicated that primary psychopathy (but not secondary psychopathy) was related to aggressive responding to provocation. Moreover, 5-HT augmentation attenuated this effect, supporting the notion that aggressive responding associated with primary psychopathic traits may be due in part to 5-HT dysregulation.