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Repetitive Nonsuicidal Self‐Injury as Experiential Avoidance Among a Community Sample of Adolescents
Author(s) -
HoweMartin Laura S.,
Murrell Amy R.,
Guarnaccia Charles A.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.21868
Subject(s) - experiential avoidance , psychology , alexithymia , suicidal ideation , clinical psychology , self destructive behavior , experiential learning , injury prevention , developmental psychology , cognition , poison control , psychiatry , anxiety , medicine , mathematics education , environmental health
Objective This study examined the relationship between experiential avoidance, functionally equivalent behaviors, and repetitive nonsuicidal self‐injury (NSSI/RNSSI) among adolescents. Method Self‐report questionnaires from adolescents ( N = 211) from 3 school‐based samples were employed to assess three forms of experiential avoidance (thought suppression, alexithymia, and avoidance/cognitive fusion), various aspects of self‐mutilating behaviors, and the existence of functionally equivalent behaviors (disordered eating, substance abuse, suicidal ideation/behaviors). Results Results indicated one third of participants reported a history of NSSI and 16% reported engaging in RNSSI in the past 6 months. Female adolescents were twice as likely as males to report a history of RNSSI. Unwanted inner experiences, thought suppression, and alexithymia differentiated adolescents with a history of NSSI from their counterparts. Functionally equivalent behaviors occurred more frequently among those with a history of NSSI and increased in severity as NSSI increased, particularly suicidal ideation and behaviors. However, results for patterns of avoidance were not as consistent for males as females, which questions the broad application of this model. Conclusions NSSI continues to be surprisingly common among adolescents in the community. NSSI, particularly repetitive forms, appears to be strongly related to common forms of experiential avoidance, moreso for female adolescents. Results also illustrate the importance of conceptualizing and treating self‐injury as a form of experiential avoidance. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Clin. Psychol. 68:809‐828, 2012

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