An intervention for nonsuicidal self-injury in young adults: A pilot randomized controlled trial.

Abstract

Objective Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is prevalent among young adults and associated with negative medical and psychological consequences, necessitating its treatment. However, few treatments have been developed to treat NSSI specifically, or to treat the behavior among individuals without borderline personality disorder. The purpose of this study was to investigate the Treatment for Self-Injurious Behaviors (T-SIB), a brief, behavioral intervention specifically developed to treat NSSI among young adults, in a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT). Method Thirty-three young adults (age: M = 22.36 years, SD = 3.40) meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomly assigned to the treatment (T-SIB; n = 15) or treatment as usual (TAU; n = 18) condition. The sample was 93.9% female, 42.4% Caucasian, and 30.3% Hispanic/Latino. Results Feasibility and acceptability of the study and intervention were supported, and medium effects were found for decreased NSSI frequency in the T-SIB group using intent-to-treat analyses. Conclusion Results of this study support the further evaluation of T-SIB in a larger RCT.

Self‐injury recovery: A person‐centered framework

“…To understand why individuals self‐injure, a functional assessment may prove beneficial. Indeed, this approach has been recommended and used widely to identify key antecedents (e.g., acute distress stemming from an argument) and consequences (e.g., emotional relief after self‐injury) linked to NSSI (see Andover et al, 2017, 2020). Along these lines, using DBT techniques such as diary cards can help clients identify what contributes to NSSI and track when they have urges but do not act.…”

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

“…Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), the direct, intentional destruction of one's own body tissue without the intent to die (Klonsky & Muehlenkamp, 2007;Nock, 2009), is linked to several adversities, including physical scarring, higher likelihood of co-occurring psychopathology (e.g., depression, anxiety, suicidal behaviors), and increased interpersonal difficulties (Adrian et al, 2011;Bentley et al, 2014;Klonsky et al, 2013;Tatnell et al, 2014). When identified, NSSI can be reduced through psychological and pharmacological interventions (Andover et al, 2017;Bentley et al, 2017;Cook & Gorraiz, 2016;Turner et al, 2014). However, for treatment to occur the NSSI behavior typically must first be disclosed.…”

Extending research on Emotion Regulation Individual Therapy for Adolescents (ERITA) with nonsuicidal self-injury disorder: open pilot trial and mediation analysis of a novel online version

“…Not only are these findings promising and suggestive of the utility of this online treatment, they are comparable to the findings obtained in previous trials of face-to-face versions of ERITA and ERGT [ 16 – 18 , 51 , 52 ]. Notably, however, the mean therapist time per family in the current study was approximately one third of the time required in brief face-to-face treatments for NSSI (e.g., [ 16 , 66 ]) and this substantial reduction in therapist time was managed without a related loss in the feasibility, acceptance, or utility of the intervention. Moreover, consistent with past research on ICBT for adults [ 67 ], the therapeutic alliance was strong and comparable to the ratings obtained in the face-to-face trial of ERITA [ 16 ].…”