Mediators' Emotional Responses to Self-Injurious Behavior: An Experimental Study

Abstract

Researchers have suggested that mediators find challenging behaviors aversive. An ecologically valid control comparison study to support this contention was conducted. Sixty mediators from schools for children with mental retardation watched one of five carefully matched videos depicting no self-injury, self-injury maintained by positive reinforcement, self-injury maintained by negative reinforcement, and self-injury unrelated to social events. Those viewing the no self-injury video reported fewer negative emotional responses than did those watching self-injury videos. Effects of behavioral function were found on mediators' self-reported emotional responses. In particular, self-injury maintained by negative reinforcement was associated with more self-reported negative emotion. Methodological issues and implications for research and practice are discussed.