Domains Of Emotion Regulation Research Articles

Specific emotion regulation difficulties and executive function explain the link between worry and subsequent stress: A prospective moderated mediation study

BackgroundWorry is a transdiagnostic risk factor for stress-related mental health complaints such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Although worry may function as a form of avoidance of unwanted emotions and accordingly interfere with adaptive emotion regulation, the specific domains of emotion regulation that are perturbed by excessive worry to confer risk for stress-related symptoms are unclear. Further, it is unknown if cognitive control mechanisms that underlie successful emotion regulation influence the effect of worry on stress. The present study addressed these gaps in the literature by examining specific emotion regulation difficulties as mediators of the relationship between worry and subsequent stress, as well as executive function as a moderator of the mediated effects. Method656 community adults were assessed for trait worry, emotion dysregulation, stress, and executive dysfunction once per month for three months (time 1 – time 3). ResultsThe effect of worry (time 1) on subsequent stress (time 3) was partially mediated by difficulties with emotional clarity and difficulty engaging in goal-directed behavior when upset (time 2) after controlling for age, gender, and baseline stress. Moderated mediation models revealed that the indirect effect of worry on stress via difficulty with goal-directed behavior was significantly moderated by executive dysfunction, such that fewer executive function difficulties acted as a buffer against the harmful effects of worry. LimitationsLimitations include reliance on self-report measures, lack of experimental manipulation, and a nonclinical sample. ConclusionsFindings point to specific domains of emotion regulation as treatment targets for individuals with high worry proneness.

Sleep disturbance and suicidality in psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents: The role of specific emotion regulation domains.

Sleep disturbance is associated with broadband measurements of emotion regulation (ER). The linkage between ER, a multidimensional process, and suicidal ideation and suicide attempt is also documented in theoretical and empirical work. Recent research indicates that distinct profiles of ER are associated with psychiatric outcomes, including adolescent suicidal ideation and attempt. The present study examined whether specific domains of ER would explain the association between sleep disturbance, and ideation and attempt among psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents. The sample included 284 adolescents who completed self-report measures on sleep disturbance, ER, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and psychiatric symptoms upon inpatient hospitalization. Findings indicated that sleep disturbance was associated with suicidal ideation. Further, a single ER domain (perceived limited access to ER strategies) fully accounted for the significant association between sleep disturbance and suicidal ideation. A reported suicide attempt in the past week was correlated with the nonacceptance of emotional responses, perceived limited access to ER strategies, and emotional clarity, but was not associated with sleep disturbance. The current findings highlight the importance of examining narrowband ER and indicate the presence of differential associations between sleep disturbance, ER, and suicide-related outcomes. Findings further elucidate the possible role of impaired cognitive responses to emotional experiences in the co-occurrence of sleep disturbance and youth psychiatric outcomes.

A coping subscale for autistic children: Revisiting the dimensionality of the emotion regulation and social skills questionnaire

BackgroundAutistic children often struggle with emotion regulation and social interaction. Brief measures of a child’s coping skill needs are valuable in community mental health settings, where time and resources are limited. However, the construct of coping is often not clearly defined and varies widely within emotion regulation measures, limiting clinical utility. This study aimed to clarify the dimensionality of the Emotion Regulation and Social Skills Questionnaire – Parent (ERSSQ-P), a single-factor, parent report measure developed to assess social-emotional competence in autistic children. Method/ResultsExploratory Item Factor Analysis was conducted with a multi-site, pre-treatment sample of parent-reported data for 186 autistic children (Mage = 9.77 years, SD = 1.32). A three-factor solution was identified as the most appropriate fit, across domains of emotion regulation (Coping: a child’s ability to modulate distressing feelings in stressful contexts) and social competence (Initiating: ability to appropriately initiate interactions with other children; Interacting: overall ability to engage in and maintain social interactions). Sum score internal consistency was good for Coping and Initiating (α = .84/ω = .84; α = .87/ω = .90), and acceptable for Interacting (α = .75/ω = .73). Validity for the subscales was confirmed based on associations with measures of emotion regulation, depression and social communication. ConclusionsThe revised structure of the ERSSQ-P targets separate areas where strengths and needs may occur for autistic children, with the potential to assist clinicians to improve assessment and treatment tailoring to meet the specific emotional, social and behavioral needs of children in their care.

Emotion dysregulation and belief in conspiracy theories

Conspiracy beliefs typically flourish in threatening situations that evoke negative emotions. In the present research, we hypothesized that conspiracy beliefs may therefore serve as a psychological response to difficulties in the domain of emotion regulation (i.e., dysregulation of emotional experiences, expressions, and responses). This hypothesis was tested among British, American, and Polish participants and conceptually replicated across three studies. Specifically, we examined the associations between difficulties in emotion regulation and belief in general notions of conspiracy (Study 1, n = 391 and Study 2, n = 411) and belief in specific conspiracy theories in (Study 3, n = 558). Across all three studies, difficulties in emotion regulation positively predicted belief in conspiracy theories. These findings suggest that people having more problems with regulating their emotions may be most prone to believing in conspiracy theories.

Emotion regulation in older adulthood: roles of executive functioning and social relationships

ABSTRACT Although emotion regulation (ER) is often maintained or even enhanced in older adulthood, resources used to promote ER in later life are not well understood. The current study examined how executive functioning (EF) and social relationships are related to ER in older adults (N=90; Age: M=74.98, SD=5.41). Results showed associations between higher shifting performance (a behavioral index of EF) and higher use of cognitive reappraisal, an ER strategy. This effect was moderated by social relationships, such that those with lower shifting performance reported higher levels of reappraisal in the presence of positive social relationships. Positive social relationships were also associated with lower use of expressive suppression, another ER strategy. Additional analyses did not reveal associations between ER and other cognitive domains. These findings contribute to current understandings of how cognitive and social resources contribute to ER in older adulthood and provide important potential future research and intervention targets.

Predicting the effectiveness of engagement and disengagement emotion regulation based on emotional reactivity in borderline personality disorder

ABSTRACT Improving emotion regulation is central to borderline personality disorder (BPD) treatment, but little research indicates which emotion regulation strategies are optimally effective and when. Basic emotion science suggests that engagement emotion regulation strategies that process emotional content become less effective as emotional intensity increases, whereas disengagement strategies that disengage from it do not. This study examined whether emotional reactivity to emotional stimuli predicts the effectiveness of engagement and disengagement emotion regulation across self-report, general physiologic (heart rate), sympathetic (skin conductance responses), and parasympathetic (respiratory sinus arrythmia) emotion in BPD, healthy, and clinical control (i.e. generalized anxiety disorder; GAD) groups. 120 participants (40 per group) were exposed to emotion inductions and then instructed to implement engagement (mindful awareness) and disengagement (distraction) strategies while self-report and physiological emotion measurements were taken. In the BPD and GAD groups, higher heart rate or respiratory sinus arrythmia reactivity, respectively, predicted improved mindful awareness effectiveness. Higher skin conductance reactivity predicted worsened distraction effectiveness in BPD. Higher reactivity may potentiate engagement emotion regulation, and exacerbate disengagement from emotional content, in BPD. Future research should examine other domains of emotion regulation that may be influenced by emotional intensity, and other forms of emotional intensity that may influence them.

Improved emotion regulation in depression following cognitive remediation: A randomized controlled trial

ObjectiveExecutive functions (EFs) play a key role in emotion regulation and, related to this, depression. Cognitive remediation (CR) targeting EFs, such as Goal Management Training (GMT) and computerized cognitive training (CCT), may reduce maladaptive emotion regulation. However, the clinical potential of GMT in the context of depression and emotion regulation remains to be tested. Hence, the primary aim of the present study was to compare effects of GMT with CCT on symptoms of emotion dysregulation. MethodThe paper reports the effects of a preregistered randomized controlled trial. Sixty-three participants (18–60yrs) with active or remitted depression and EF complaints were randomized to nine sessions of GMT (n = 35) or CCT (n = 28). All were assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and at 6-month follow-up. The Ruminative Response Scale and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale were employed to assess emotion regulation. ResultsBoth groups improved following the intervention on emotion regulation domains after controlling for intention-to-treat, including brooding rumination and on items reflecting non-accepting reactions to distress. Relative to CCT, the GMT-group demonstrated increased clarity of emotional responses in the per protocol analysis. ConclusionsOur findings demonstrate the potential of GMT and CCT in reducing maladaptive emotion regulation in depression.

Improvement of Emotional Response to Negative Stimulations With Moderate-Intensity Physical Exercise.

It is widely accepted that physical exercises (PEs) not only are good for fitness but also contribute to mental health and well-being. The positive influence of PEs on emotion has become a topic of much excitement. However, a quantitative study is required to discuss the effect of short-term moderate-intensity PE on the emotional response by using electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry. The experiments, including 20-min moderate-intensity cycling and EEG data acquisition with picture-induced emotion assessment protocol, were designed in this paper. The experiment procedure consists of two emotion assessment sessions, each of which contains 24 pictures. About 80 participants were randomly allocated into the exercise group and the control group. Participants in the exercise group were instructed to have a 20-min moderate-intensity cycling after the first assessment session, then rested until their heart rates recovered to baselines and their emotional states were assessed again in the second session. The control group only had a 20-min break without the cycling exercise between the two sessions. It was observed that, in the control group, the EEG asymmetry had no significant difference in these two assessment sessions for both positive and negative stimulations. However, in the exercise group, the difference of the EEG asymmetry before and after PE was significant only in response to negative stimulations. Further, the in-depth analysis of EEG asymmetry index changes of individual participants shows that the short-term moderate-intensity PE has a positive impact in response to negative stimulations. The proposed experiments show that the negative emotional experience can be reduced by the moderate-intensity PE and support the hypothesis that the moderate-intensity PE is good at improving emotional response to negative stimulations. This study provides the evidence of positive effects of PE in the domain of emotion regulation with experimental data.

Measurement and correlates of irritability in clinically referred youth: Further examination of the Affective Reactivity Index

Background: Research on youth irritability has proliferated in recent years, largely facilitated by items from existing measures and by key new instruments like the Affective Reactivity Index (ARI). The present study extends this literature by investigating the psychometric properties of the parent- and youth-report ARI and the correlates of irritability in an independent, clinically referred sample.Method: Baseline assessment data were collected from 237 youths (ages 3-18; 36% female) and their parents, seen for outpatient therapy and/or assessment. We examined the ARI in terms of (1) its item, scale, and factor properties; (2) convergent/discriminant validity with internalizing, externalizing, and emotion regulation problems; (3) specificity of associations with reactive aggression, anger, dysregulation, and coping; and (4) robustness of associations after controlling for demographic variables (e.g., age, gender).Results: The ARI's internal consistency and unidimensional factor structure were acceptable or better, with some variation across items and informants. Irritability, as measured by parent- and youth-report, was associated with variables in the externalizing (inattention, hyperactivity, executive dysfunction, aggression), internalizing (anxiety, depression, suicidality), and emotion regulation domains. Associations with reactive aggression, anger, dysregulation, and coping problems were especially pronounced. Irritability's links with internalizing and externalizing problems remained robust after controlling for demographic covariates.Limitations: The sample was limited in diversity and moderate in size.Conclusions: Findings support the reliability and validity of the ARI for assessing parent- and youth-rated irritability among clinically referred youth. Future research is needed to understand variations in irritability's manifestations, measurement, and correlates across demographic groups.

Emotion Regulation as a Risk Factor for Suicide Ideation among Adolescents and Young Adults: The Mediating Role of Belongingness.

Thwarted belongingness is an established predictor of suicide ideation. Emerging theory suggests belongingness may be a crucial pathway through which risk factors such as dysfunctional emotion regulation influence suicide ideation. This study examined whether belongingness mediated the relationship between emotion regulation and suicide ideation in young people (16-25 years). Participants (n = 1699; 63.6% females, M = 20.24 years, SD = 2.45 years) completed measures of these constructs, including the emotion regulation domains of internal-functional, internal-dysfunctional, external-functional, and external-dysfunctional. Belongingness mediated over half of the association between three emotion regulation domains and suicide ideation (internal-functional: 55.6%, internal-dysfunctional: 54.1%, and external-functional: 64.8%). Consistent with current etiological suicidality models, results suggest low belongingness is an important precursor to suicide ideation in young people, and that there is an inter-relationship between emotional regulation styles and belongingness.

Association Between Interoception and Emotion Regulation in Individuals With Alcohol Use Disorder.

IntroductionSensing body-related information includes interoceptive sensibility (the tendency to focus on internal body sensations) and accuracy (precision in perceiving real internal processes). Interoception and emotion regulation have both been linked to alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, the association between these factors have not been investigated within a clinical group of individuals with AUD.ObjectivesThe current study examines associations between emotion regulation and interoceptive accuracy and sensibility among individuals with AUD and healthy controls (HCs).MethodsThe sample comprised 165 individuals meeting criteria for AUD and 110 HCs. Interoceptive sensibility was assessed with a self-report measure (the Private Body Consciousness subscale) and interoceptive accuracy – with a behavioral measure (the Schandry test). Emotion regulation domains: non-acceptance of negative emotions, inability to engage in goal-directed behaviors when experiencing negative emotions, difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors when experiencing negative emotions, limited access to effective emotion regulation strategies, and lack of own emotional awareness and clarity were assessed with the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). Associations between interoception and emotion regulation were assessed while controlling for sleep problems, depressive symptoms, age, and sex.ResultsHigher interoceptive accuracy was negatively associated with DERS subscale of non-acceptance of negative emotions in the AUD group (but not in the HC group). Higher interoceptive sensibility was significantly associated with problems in controlling impulsive behaviors when experiencing negative emotions. This association was moderated by symptoms of AUD. Higher interoceptive sensibility was associated with higher emotional awareness, but only in the HC group.ConclusionsIndividuals with AUD who are more interoceptively accurate may be more effective in regulating their emotions. On the other hand, individuals with AUD who are more interoceptively sensible, may have problems with controlling their behaviors while experiencing negative emotional states.

Relationship of childhood maltreatment, exercise, and emotion regulation to self-esteem, PTSD, and depression symptoms among college students

Objective Because physical exercise improves psychological functioning, it may be beneficial to college students with maltreatment histories. Thus, we tested the hypotheses that cumulative maltreatment would negatively affect psychological functioning, physical exercise would positively affect psychological functioning, and emotion regulation difficulties would negatively contribute to the prediction of psychological functioning. Participants: Participants were 90 undergraduate students (71.1% female, 65.6% white). Methods: Participants completed questionnaires regarding their maltreatment and physical exercise history, emotion regulation difficulties, and psychological functioning. Results: Cumulative maltreatment was negatively correlated with self-esteem and positively correlated with PTSD/depression and frequent exercise was negatively correlated with PTSD/depression. Emotion regulation difficulties impacted the relationships between maltreatment history and psychological functioning, and accounted for much of the variability in psychological functioning. Cumulative maltreatment and exercise impacted different domains of emotion regulation which in turn uniquely affect psychological functioning. Conclusions: Therapeutic interventions should aim to improve these specific emotion regulation abilities.

Lipid Profiles at Birth Predict Teacher-Rated Child Emotional and Social Development 5 Years Later

The fetal environment has been increasingly implicated in later psychological health, but the role of lipids is unknown. Drawing on the ethnically diverse Born in Bradford (BiB) birth cohort, the current study related levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), and triglycerides in umbilical cord blood to 1,369 children’s teacher-rated psychosocial competence approximately 5 years later. Results of ordinal logistic regressions indicated that low levels of HDL, high levels of VLDL, and high levels of triglycerides predicted greater likelihood of being rated as less competent in domains of emotion regulation, self-awareness, and interpersonal functioning. Furthermore, these results generalized across ethnic background and children’s sex and were not accounted for by variables reflecting mothers’ psychological or physical health, children’s physical health, or children’s special education status. Together, these results identify fetal exposure to anomalous lipid levels as a possible contributor to subsequent psychological health and social functioning.

Spatial and temporal cortical variability track with age and affective experience during emotion regulation in youth.

Variability is a fundamental feature of human brain activity that is particularly pronounced during development. However, developmental neuroimaging research has only recently begun to move beyond characterizing brain function exclusively in terms of magnitude of neural activation to incorporate estimates of variability. No prior neuroimaging study has done so in the domain of emotion regulation. We investigated how age and affective experiences relate to spatial and temporal variability in neural activity during emotion regulation. In the current study, 70 typically developing youth aged 8 to 17 years completed a cognitive reappraisal task of emotion regulation while undergoing functional MRI. Estimates of spatial and temporal variability during regulation were calculated across a network of brain regions, defined a priori, and were then related to age and affective experiences. Results showed that increasing age was associated with reduced spatial and temporal variability in a set of frontoparietal regions (e.g., dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, superior parietal lobule) known to be involved in effortful emotion regulation. In addition, youth who reported less negative affect during regulation had less spatial variability in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, which has previously been linked to cognitive reappraisal. We interpret age-related reductions in spatial and temporal variability as implying neural specialization. These results suggest that the development of emotion regulation is undergirded by a process of neural specialization and open a host of possibilities for incorporating neural variability into the study of emotion regulation development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

The role of emotion regulation in socially anxious children and adolescents: a systematic review.

While numerous studies suggest that emotion dysregulation is important in maintaining social anxiety among adults, the role of emotion regulation in children and adolescents with social anxiety is not yet well understood. In this systematic review, we use the process model of emotion regulation as a framework for understanding emotion regulation in children and adolescents with social anxiety. We performed a systematic literature search in the electronic data bases Medline and PsycINFO. Additional studies were identified by hand search. We identified 683 studies, screened their titles and abstracts, viewed 142 studies, and included 55 of these. Study results indicate that children and adolescents with social anxiety disorder or high social anxiety show emotion dysregulation across all five domains of emotion regulation, such as enhanced social avoidance, more safety behaviors, repetitive negative thinking, biased attention and interpretation of social information, and reduced emotional expression. While enhanced social avoidance seems to be specific to childhood social anxiety, other maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, such as repetitive negative thinking, seem to occur transdiagnostically across different childhood anxiety disorders. Implications for current theory, interventions and future research are discussed.

Difficulties in emotion regulation and psychopathic traits in violent offenders

PurposeThe present study aimed to advance our understanding of the relevance of emotion dysregulation (ED) for psychopathy. MethodsLatent Profile Analysis (LPA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were employed to examine person- and variable-centered associations between ED domains and psychopathic traits in a moderately-large (N = 268) sample of violent male offenders. ResultsLPA results indicated a 3-class solution with offenders most accurately classified based on ED levels (low, medium, high) across domains. The three ED subgroups revealed linear positive associations with psychopathy total, affective, and lifestyle facet scores, such that elevated levels of these traits were found in subgroups with greater ED. A similar linear trend emerged for the antisocial – but not interpersonal – facet, in-line with recent studies showing positive associations between executive functioning and interpersonal features of psychopathy. In SEM analyses, a latent ED factor positively predicted a super-ordinate psychopathy factor, controlling for psychopathological distress. ConclusionsTaken together, current findings support the notion that ED involves broad difficulties across emotion regulation domains, which vary by degree rather than in kind, and that these difficulties have linear positive relations with psychopathic traits among violent offenders.

Coping, emotion regulation, and psychopathology in childhood and adolescence: A meta-analysis and narrative review.

In this meta-analytic and narrative review, we examine several overarching issues related to the study of coping, emotion regulation, and internalizing and externalizing symptoms of psychopathology in childhood and adolescence, including the conceptualization and measurement of these constructs. We report a quantitative meta-analysis of 212 studies (N = 80,850 participants) that measured the associations between coping and emotion regulation with symptoms of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. Within the meta-analysis we address the association of broad domains of coping and emotion regulation (e.g., total coping, emotion regulation), intermediate factors of coping and emotion regulation (e.g., primary control coping, secondary control coping), and specific coping and emotion regulation strategies (e.g., emotional expression, cognitive reappraisal) with internalizing and externalizing symptoms. For cross-sectional studies, which made up the majority of studies included, we examine 3 potential moderators: age, measure quality, and single versus multiple informants. Finally, we separately consider findings from longitudinal studies as these provide stronger tests of the effects. After accounting for publication bias, findings indicate that the broad domain of emotion regulation and adaptive coping and the factors of primary control coping and secondary control coping are related to lower levels of symptoms of psychopathology. Further, the domain of maladaptive coping, the factor of disengagement coping, and the strategies of emotional suppression, avoidance, and denial are related to higher levels of symptoms of psychopathology. Finally, we offer a critique of the current state of the field and outline an agenda for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record

Affect, emotion dysregulation, and sleep quality among low-income women

ObjectivesTo examine the underlying mechanisms through which steady-state emotions, specifically affect and emotion regulation, influence sleep quality among young adult low-income women. DesignCross-sectional. SettingStress and Health Study (2006-2012) in southeast Texas. ParticipantsA subgroup (n = 392) of racially and ethnically diverse young adult women ages 18-31. MeasurementsParticipants provided measures of positive and negative affect, difficulties in emotion regulation, and sleep quality. Structural equation models were designed to identify differential mediating roles of emotion dysregulation in the association between both positive and negative affect and sleep quality. ResultsThe relationship between positive affect and improved sleep quality operated completely through domains of emotion regulation (β = −0.054; 95% confidence interval [CI], −0.08 to −0.03), whereas the adverse effects of negative affect exhibited both direct (β = 0.142; 95% CI, 0.06-0.23) and indirect (β = 0.124; 95% CI, 0.08-0.16) effects on poor sleep. Negative affect was associated with poor sleep quality via 2 pathways—it directly influenced sleep quality, and it indirectly influenced sleep quality among women experiencing difficulties in emotion regulation. ConclusionsTherapies targeting improvement and maintenance of healthy emotion regulation domains, while delineating the positive affect state from the negative affect state, may lessen the burden of poor sleep quality among low-income women.

Difficulties in emotion regulation in patients with eating disorders.

BackgroundA defining characteristic of eating disorders (EDs) is difficulty with emotion regulation (ER). Previous research indicates that ED subtypes demonstrate differing ER difficulties. Specifically, individuals with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) or Bulimia Nervosa (BN) show greater impairment in their ability to regulate emotions in areas such as achieving goals while upset, reacting impulsively to distress, and effectively using coping strategies, as compared to those with Binge Eating Disorder (BED). However, limited research includes the diagnostic category of Eating Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS). The aim of this study was to better understand ER difficulties for all ED diagnoses, especially EDNOS. It was hypothesized that patients with EDs will demonstrate similar ER difficulties as psychiatric patients without EDs and that patients with EDNOS will be similar in their total level of ER difficulties but will differ in their specific types of difficulties in ER as compared to patients with other EDs.MethodsParticipants included 404 adults presenting to an inpatient psychiatric hospital. Psychiatric diagnoses, including EDs, were determined using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders. Differences in specific and overall difficulties with ER were examined across psychiatric patients using the multidimensional Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale.ResultsResults of this study indicate that individuals with EDs have greater ER difficulties in most domains of ER and that those with BED and EDNOS demonstrate the most significant differences in ER as compared to psychiatric patients without EDs. Additionally, it was found that ED subtypes typically did not differ in terms of specific difficulties in ER. One exception emerged indicating that individuals with BED demonstrated significantly greater difficulty on the Limited Access to Emotion Regulation Strategies subscale as compared to those with EDNOS.ConclusionsResearchers were able to clarify difficulties in ER across ED diagnoses. Results highlight the importance of providing ER skills training for patients with EDs, particularly those with BED and EDNOS, and give insight into the specific areas of ER that may be important for these patients to focus on throughout recovery.

Self-injurious behavior, emotion regulation, and attachment styles among college students in India.

Context:Intentional self-directed acts of injury are the most common among adolescents and young adults. Developmental psychopathology theories that conceptualize pathways to self-injurious behaviors (SIBs) implicate insecure attachment representations and inadequate self-regulatory skills to cope with emotional distress.Aims:The study aimed to examine relationships between SIBs, attachment, and emotion regulation among college students.Materials and Methods:A total of 470 participants from undergraduate and postgraduate colleges completed the functional assessment of self-mutilation questionnaire, attachment style questionnaire, and the difficulties in emotion regulation scale.Results:Results indicated that 31.2% of the participants reported SIB in the past year, with the mean age of onset being 15.9 years. Moderate/severe forms of self-injury (e.g. cutting, burning) were reported by 19.8% of the sample. Self-injuring youth reported higher levels of anxious attachment, preoccupation with relationships and need for approval in relationships, and difficulties in all domains of emotion regulation. Logistic regression analysis identified preoccupation with relationships and impulse control difficulties as predictors of SIB.Conclusions:The findings have implications for comprehensive interventions for self-injuring youth.