Citation

Ammerman B, Berman ME, McCloskey MS. Arch. Suicide Res. 2018; 22(2): 193-223.

Affiliation

Temple University.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, International Academy of Suicide Research, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/13811118.2017.1319312

PMID

28422612

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The majority of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) research has used self- or clinician-rated measures of behavior which (a) are subject to reporting biases, or (b) have limited use in experimental designs which could illuminate causal relationships. Laboratory-based behavioral tasks have therefore been developed to assess NSSI-related behaviors more directly.

METHODS: We reviewed the behavioral methods that have been developed to assess NSSI tendencies or behaviors over the past thirty-years.

RESULTS: Several categories of laboratory analogues were identified: NSSI-related stimuli (e.g., NSSI pictures, implicit association tasks, guided imagery), experimenter administered pain stimuli (e.g., cold, heat, pressure, shock, and blade), and self-selected pain stimuli (e.g., cold and shock).

CONCLUSION: These behavioral methods assess various aspects of NSSI and all have distinct advantages and shortcomings. Overall, these approaches have made significant contributions to the field complementing self- and clinician-ratings.

Language: en

Keywords

NSSI; behavioral analogues; behavioral tasks; laboratory methods; self-injury