Abstract
Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) is the self-inflicted destruction of body tissues without suicidal intent with a prevalence of 1.5% to 6.7% in the youth population. At present, it is not clear which emotional and behavioral components are specifically associated with it. Therefore, we studied NSSI in a clinical sample of youth using the Ottawa Self-injury Inventory and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale 11. The Mann–Whitney test was used to compare the numerical responses provided to the tests. We found 54 patients with NSSI, with a mean age of 17 years. Scores were analyzed in the total sample and in four subgroups. In the total sample, Internal Emotion and External Emotion Regulation, Craving, Non-Planning and Total Impulsivity were significantly associated with NSSI. There were statistically significant differences in Craving between patients with multiple NSSI episodes, suicide attempts and multiple injury modes and patients of other corresponding subgroups, in Internal Emotion Regulation, Sensation Seeking and Motor Impulsivity between NSSI patients with suicide attempts and no suicide attempts, and in Cognitive Impulsivity between NSSI patients with multiple injury modes and one injury mode. It is necessary to carefully evaluate the components underlying NSSI in order to activate personalized treatment options.
Highlights
Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) is the voluntary and self-inflicted destruction of body tissues in the absence of suicidal intents with no socially sanctioned purposes
Internal Emotion and External Emotion Regulation, Craving, Non-Planning and Total Impulsivity were significantly associated with NSSI
We searched for the presence of NSSI in a sample of adolescents and young adult inpatients hospitalized for acute psychopathological disorders in the Operative Units of Child Neuropsychiatry and Psychiatry of the University Hospital of Bari, Italy, between January 2018 and September 2020
Summary
Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) is the voluntary and self-inflicted destruction of body tissues in the absence of suicidal intents with no socially sanctioned purposes. The main feature of NSSI is recurrent self-infliction of superficial injuries towards the own body, commonly associated with an immediate sense of relief. Injured areas are the thighs’ front and the forearms’ dorsal side. NSSI is frequently observed between the ages of 12 and 14 years and ranges from 1.5% to 6.7% in community samples of children and adolescents [1]. NSSI is a significant concern for children and adolescents’ clinicians because it has a significant risk of relapse and a strong association with suicidality and psychiatric disorders [2,3,4,5]
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