Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors

Nock, Matthew K.; Wedig, Michelle M.; Janis, Irene Belle; Deliberto, Tara L.

doi:10.1093/med:psych/9780195310641.003.0008

Cited by 37 publications

(32 citation statements)

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“…Author Manuscript suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts) as well as non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), which refers to the direct, deliberate destruction of body tissue in the absence of lethal intent (Nock & Favazza, 2009;Nock, Wedig, Janis, & Deliberto, 2008). This research has provided valuable information about the prevalence, risk factors, and treatment of these distinct but related forms of SITBs (Hawton & van Heeringen, 2000;Nock, 2009b).…”

Section: Author Manuscript Author Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revealing the form and function of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors: A real-time ecological assessment study among adolescents and young adults.

Nock¹,

Prinstein²,

Sterba³

2010

Psychology of Violence

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158

226

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Self-injurious behaviors are among the leading causes of death worldwide. However, the basic nature of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) is not well-understood because prior studies have relied on long-term, retrospective, aggregate, self-report assessment methods. We used ecological momentary assessment methods to measure suicidal and non-suicidal SITBs as they naturally occur in real-time. Participants were 30 adolescents and young adults with a recent history of self-injury who completed signal-and event-contingent assessments on handheld computers over a 14-day period, resulting in the collection of data on 1262 thought and behavior episodes. Participants reported an average of 5.0 thoughts of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) per week, most often of moderate intensity and short duration (1-30 minutes), and 1.6 episodes of NSSI per week. Suicidal thoughts occurred less frequently (1.1 per week), were of longer duration, and led to self-injurious behavior (i.e., suicide attempts) less often. Details are reported about the contexts in which SITBs most often occur (e.g., what participants were doing, who they were with, and what they were feeling before and after each episode). This study provides a first glimpse of how SITBs are experienced in everyday life and has significant implications for scientific and clinical work on self-injurious behaviors.Self-injurious behaviors are among the leading causes of death and injury worldwide (Nock, Borges et al., 2008;WHO, 2008), and represent one of the most perplexing problems facing psychological scientists. Philosophers have speculated about the nature of suicidal selfinjury for centuries (e.g., Kant, Camus, Rousseau, Satre, Hobbes, Locke, Hume)(see Minois, 1999), and over the past 50 years scientists have used systematic research methods to study self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs). SITBs include both suicidal behaviors (e.g., Correspondence to: Matthew K. Nock, Ph.D., 33 Kirkland Street, 1280, Cambridge, MA 02138, nock@wjh.harvard.edu. Publisher's Disclaimer: The following manuscript is the final accepted manuscript. It has not been subjected to the final copyediting, fact-checking, and proofreading required for formal publication. It is not the definitive, publisher-authenticated version. The American Psychological Association and its Council of Editors disclaim any responsibility or liabilities for errors or omissions of this manuscript version, any version derived from this manuscript by NIH, or other third parties. The published version is available at www.apa.org/ pubs/journals/abn. HHS Public AccessAuthor manuscript J Abnorm Psychol. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2017 January 23. Author Manuscript Author ManuscriptAuthor ManuscriptAuthor Manuscript suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts) as well as non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), which refers to the direct, deliberate destruction of body tissue in the absence of lethal intent (Nock & Favazza, 2009;Nock, Wedig, Janis, & Deliberto, 2008). This research has provided valuable info...

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Section: Author Manuscript Author Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revealing the form and function of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors: A real-time ecological assessment study among adolescents and young adults.

Nock¹,

Prinstein²,

Sterba³

2010

Psychology of Violence

Self Cite

158

226

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The term "self-injurious behavior" refers broadly to any behavior in which a person directly and deliberately inflicts injury upon the self (i.e., this includes both suicidal and non-suicidal self-injury) (Nock, Wedig, Janis, & Deliberto, 2008). The more specific term "non-suicidal self-injury" (NSSI) refers to direct and deliberate destruction of body tissue in the absence of any intent to die, such as in the case of skin cutting (Nock & Favazza, in press).…”

Section: Terminologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Actions speak louder than words: An elaborated theoretical model of the social functions of self-injury and other harmful behaviors

Nock

2008

Applied and Preventive Psychology

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232

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The question of why some people do things that are intentionally harmful to themselves continues to puzzle scientists, clinicians, and the public. Prior studies have demonstrated that one fairly extreme, direct form of self-harm, non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), is maintained by both automatic (i.e., intrapersonal) as well as social (i.e., interpersonal) reinforcement. However, the majority of theoretical and empirical papers on this topic focus almost exclusively on the automatic functions. The purpose of this paper is to provide a more comprehensive analysis of the social functions of NSSI. Evidence is presented supporting the notion that NSSI is maintained by social reinforcement in at least a substantial minority of instances. Moreover, an elaborated theoretical model of the social functions of NSSI is outlined that proposes that this behavior represents a high intensity social signal used when less intense communication strategies fail (e.g., speaking, yelling, crying). The model further proposes that NSSI can serve not only as a signal of distress that is reinforced primarily by the caregiving behavior it elicits from others, but that it also can serve as a signal of strength and fitness that is reinforced by warding off potential threats (e.g., peer victimization), and in some cases can strengthen affiliation with others. Support for this theoretical model is drawn from diverse literatures including psychology, evolutionary biology, and cultural anthropology. The paper concludes with specific recommendations for empirical tests of the proposed model of the social functions of NSSI, as well as other harmful behaviors such as alcohol and drug use.

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“…82 Validated interview-style assessments include the Suicide Attempt Self-Injury Interview 83 and the SelfInjurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview. 84,85 The Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory, the Functional Assessment of Self-Mutilation, the SelfHarm Behavior Questionnaire, and the Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview are available from the respective authors of the instruments (see references). The Suicide Attempt SelfInjury Interview is freely available online through the University of Washington Behavioral Research and Therapy Clinics website.…”

Section: Instruments For Assessing Self-injurymentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonsuicidal Self-Injury: A Review of Current Research for Family Medicine and Primary Care Physicians

Kerr¹,

Muehlenkamp²,

Turner³

2010

The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine

117

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Self-injury is a dangerous behavior that is different from suicidal behavior but is associated with increased risk of suicide attempts. Some effective psychological treatments for self-injury exist. Physicians in family medicine and primary care settings play a vital role as a first step in the treatment process for those who selfinjure. Physicians can enhance the care provided to those who self-injure via the accurate assessment of risk, the understanding of the functions of the behavior, assisting the patient in identifying motivations for treatment and treatment options, and provision of long-term behavioral and risk monitoring. This article summarizes the current scientific knowledge regarding the clinical features, epidemiology, assessment methods, and existing treatments of self-injury. The role of the primary care physician in the treatment of patients who self-injure is specifically outlined. (J Am Board Fam Med 2010;23:240 -259.)

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Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors

Cited by 37 publications

References 4 publications

Revealing the form and function of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors: A real-time ecological assessment study among adolescents and young adults.

Revealing the form and function of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors: A real-time ecological assessment study among adolescents and young adults.

Actions speak louder than words: An elaborated theoretical model of the social functions of self-injury and other harmful behaviors

Nonsuicidal Self-Injury: A Review of Current Research for Family Medicine and Primary Care Physicians

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