The Mediatory Role of Maladaptive Schema Modes Between Parental Care and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is being increasingly recognised as a behaviour of significant clinical importance. Yet, there remains uncertainty regarding the underlying mechanisms of NSSI. This study aimed to explore the relationship between maladaptive schema modes, parental bonding, and NSSI. Seventy psychiatric outpatients with a history of NSSI completed the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory, Schema Mode Inventory, and Parental Bonding Inventory. Results revealed that maladaptive schema modes were significantly associated with low parental care and with an earlier age of onset, longer duration, and higher number of methods of NSSI. Maladaptive schema modes also significantly mediated the relationship between parental care and age of onset of NSSI and between parental care and duration of NSSI. Two maladaptive schema modes (namely, Punitive Parent and Angry Child) were also found to be significant mediators in this relationship. The clinical implications of this research are discussed.     

青少年网络受欺负与自伤的关系:友谊质量与反刍思维的调节作用

为探讨青少年网络受欺负与自伤行为的关系,以及友谊质量和反刍思维在二者关系中的调节作用,采用青少年自我伤害问卷、网络受欺负问卷、友谊质量问卷等对1805名青少年进行调查。结果表明,网络受欺负对自伤行为有正向预测作用,且友谊质量和反刍思维共同调节二者的关系,即在低友谊质量高反刍思维的情况下,网络受欺负对青少年自伤行为有明显影响。提示心理干预者要注意帮助网络受欺负者寻找同伴友谊情感支持和构建理性健康认知模式。     

Every scar tells a story: Insight into people’s self-injury scar experiences

Scarring, a common and salient consequence of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), remains an under-explored issue in the field. Thus, the current investigation explored NSSI scar perspectives using online testimony from members of a popular NSSI message board; focus was attenuated to a series of message board posts pertinent to people’s experiences with scars resulting from NSSI. Data (message board posts) were collected using the website’s search function. A total of 53 posts involving discussion of people’s NSSI scar perceptions and experiences were retained. A thematic analysis of the data indicated that individuals viewed their scars in a number of ways. Many viewed scars in a resilient manner, often in the context of a self-narrative. Others, however, were unaccepting of their scars (e.g. expressed feelings of shame, hatred, or disgust). For some, they were able to gradually accept their scars but only after a period of difficulty. And, finally, some individuals expressed mixed feelings toward their scars (e.g. a love/hate relationship). Hence, scars stemming from NSSI seem to differentially impact individuals who self-injure. Possible implications for research and clinical practice are discussed.     

青少年自伤行为的自我惩罚功能:源于内疚感还是羞耻感？

为了探讨青少年自伤行为自我惩罚功能的情绪条件,设计了两个研究：研究一包括2个实验,实验1对60名青少年、实验2对87名青少年进行行为实验;研究二使用青少年自我伤害行为问卷、中学生羞耻感量表以及中学生内疚感量表等对723名普通青少年进行问卷调查。行为实验的结果显示,内疚感和羞耻感均能有效诱发青少年的自伤行为,而自伤行为能有效缓解青少年的内疚感和羞耻感;问卷调查的结果显示,青少年自伤与内疚感有明显的负相关,与羞耻感有明显的正相关。因此,维持青少年自伤行为自我惩罚功能的情绪条件是羞耻感,而非内疚感。     

Rates of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Exposure

Research on the social influences associated with rates of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is scarce and limited to studies of contagion within inpatient and residential treatment settings. Using an archival dataset that included 1,965 college students, the current study examined whether exposure to acts of NSSI and/or suicidal behavior in others was associated with increased rates of NSSI. Results supported hypotheses in that participants who knew someone who had engaged in NSSI only, or knew someone who engaged in both NSSI and suicidal behavior were more likely to have engaged in NSSI compared to those not exposed. The findings provide preliminary, albeit indirect, evidence of the potential for social modeling to influence rates of NSSI within college students. Directions for future studies are offered.     

社会排斥对青少年自伤的影响:羞耻感的中介和认知重评的调节

通过3个行为实验考察了社会排斥对青少年自伤的影响。实验1发现,社会排斥和自伤经历能明显增加青少年的自伤时长(假设1);实验2进一步验证假设1,并验证了羞耻感的中介作用(假设2);实验3验证了认知重评对羞耻感中介效应的调节作用(假设3)。结果表明,社会排斥通过诱发羞耻感影响青少年自伤,但采用认知重评的情绪管理策略能够有效阻断羞耻感的中介作用。本研究为青少年自伤的认知干预提供了有力的实证支持。     

Emotion Dysregulation Mediates the Relationship Between Child Maltreatment and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury

One risk factor for non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adolescents is exposure to traumatic experiences, particularly child maltreatment. However, the mechanisms through which childhood maltreatment predicts NSSI are largely unknown. Emotion dysregulation (ED) is likely an important mechanism in this relationship. Therefore, this study examined the relationship between childhood maltreatment, ED, and NSSI in a sample of adolescent inpatients (n = 53). Results demonstrated that child physical and emotional maltreatment, but not child sexual abuse, was significantly associated with NSSI frequency. More specifically, ED mediated the relationship between child physical and emotional maltreatment and NSSI frequency. Findings support the importance of ED as a mediating factor in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and NSSI behaviors and highlight the need for teaching emotion regulation skills to youth affected by trauma.     

Callous-unemotional traits,borderline personality,and self-injury in gothic subculture

The present study investigates individual characteristics of a sample of young adults from gothic subculture, in terms of personality traits (i.e., borderline personality and callous-unemotional traits), prevalence and functions of non-suicidal self-injury behaviours (i.e., internal emotion regulation, external emotion regulation, social influence, and sensation seeking). Fifty-one young adults (28 girls and 23 boys, mean age = 26.20, SD = 4.61) were recruited at a gothic meeting in Italy. They completed self-report questionnaires related to self-injury behaviours and self-injury functions, along with measures of borderline personality disorder and callous-unemotional traits. The results indicated that nearly 65% of the participants reported having committed self-injury at least once. Moreover, both bivariate and multivariate analyses indicated that self-injury behaviours were related to borderline personality and internal emotion regulation function. Lastly, association between considered personality traits and self-injury functions were investigated. Overall, results indicated that in gothic subculture self-injury has the function of regulating emotion to maintain the integrity of the Self and is related to the perception of a traumatic reality in which derealization coexists with extreme self-directed aggression.     

SCHEDULE EFFECTS OF NONCONTINGENT REINFORCEMENT ON ATTENTION-MAINTAINED DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR IN IDENTICAL QUADRUPLETS

Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR), a response-independent schedule for the delivery of reinforcement, has been found to be effective in reducing behavior when the reinforcer delivered is responsible for behavioral maintenance. In this study, dense and lean schedules of response-independent attention were compared to determine whether it is necessary to begin with a dense schedule before fading to a lean schedule, or whether treatment would be as effective using a lean schedule at the outset. The subjects were 5-year-old identical quadruplets diagnosed with mental retardation and pervasive developmental disorder who displayed destructive behavior that was maintained by social attention. NCR was selected partially because it is not very labor intensive and could be implemented by a single mother simultaneously with all 4 children. Using a combination multielement and multiple baseline design, it was found that (a) a dense schedule of response-independent reinforcement (i.e., fixed-time 10 s) resulted in immediate and dramatic reductions in destructive behavior with no evidence of an extinction burst, and (b) an equivalent reduction in destructive behavior was achieved with a lean schedule of response-independent reinforcement (fixed-time 5 min) only after a systematic fading procedure was implemented. The findings suggest that the effectiveness of NCR may be dependent on the use of a dense schedule initially, and that systematic fading can increase the effectiveness of a lean schedule.     

Measurement of Deliberate Self-Harm: Preliminary Data on the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory

Deliberate self-harm has recently begun to receive more systematic attention from clinical researchers. However, there remains a general lack of consensus as to how to define and measure this important clinical construct. There is still no standardized, empirically validated measure of deliberate self-harm, making it more difficult for research in this area to advance. The present paper provides an integrative, conceptual definition of deliberate self-harm as well as preliminary psychometric data on a newly developed measure of self-harm, the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory (DSHI). One hundred and fifty participants from undergraduate psychology courses completed research packets consisting of the DSHI and other measures, and 93 of these participants completed the DSHI again after an interval of 2–4 weeks (M = 3.3 weeks). Preliminary findings indicate that the DSHI has high internal consistency; adequate construct, convergent, and discriminant validity; and adequate test-retest reliability.