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Predicting Persistence of Nonsuicidal Self‐Injury in Suicidal Adolescents
Author(s) -
Yen Shirley,
Kuehn Kevin,
Melvin Caitlin,
Weinstock Lauren M.,
Andover Margaret S.,
Selby Edward A.,
Solomon Joel B.,
Spirito Anthony
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
suicide and life‐threatening behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.544
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1943-278X
pISSN - 0363-0234
DOI - 10.1111/sltb.12167
Subject(s) - persistence (discontinuity) , poison control , injury prevention , suicide prevention , human factors and ergonomics , occupational safety and health , depression (economics) , clinical psychology , self destructive behavior , psychiatry , psychology , medicine , medical emergency , geotechnical engineering , pathology , engineering , economics , macroeconomics
Prospective predictors of persistent nonsuicidal self‐injury (NSSI) were examined in adolescents admitted to an inpatient psychiatric unit for suicidal behaviors and followed naturalistically for 6 months. Seventy‐one (77%) participants reported NSSI at baseline, and 40 (56%) persisted at the 6 month follow‐up. Those who endorsed automatic positive reinforcement (APR) as the predominant reason for NSSI were more likely to persist in NSSI. Depression over follow‐up, but not at baseline, also predicted persistence. These results suggest that helping high‐risk adolescents to identify alternative ways of generating emotion(s) to counter the effects of APR that may accompany NSSI should be a high priority treatment target.