Impulsivity and clinical symptoms among adolescents with non-suicidal self-injury with or without attempted suicide

Psychiatry Res. 2009 Aug 30;169(1):22-7. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2008.06.011. Epub 2009 Jul 23.

Abstract

This study examined clinical characteristics and laboratory-measured impulsive behavior of adolescents engaging in either non-suicidal self-injury with (NSSI+SA; n=25) or without (NSSI-Only; n=31) suicide attempts. We hypothesized that adolescent with NSSI+SI would exhibit more severe clinical symptoms and higher levels of behavioral impulsivity compared to adolescents with NSSI-Only. Adolescents were recruited from an inpatient psychiatric hospital unit and the two groups were compared on demographic characteristics, psychopathology, self-reported clinical ratings, methods of non-suicidal self-injury, and two laboratory impulsivity measures. Primary evaluations were conducted during psychiatric hospitalization, and a subset of those tested during hospitalization was retested 4-6 weeks after discharge. During hospitalization, NSSI+SA patients reported worse depression, hopelessness, and impulsivity on standard clinical measures, and demonstrated elevated impulsivity on a reward-directed laboratory measure compared to NSSI-Only patients. In the follow-up analyses, depression, hopelessness, suicidal ideation, and laboratory impulsivity were improved for both groups, but the NSSI+SA group still exhibited significantly more depressive symptoms, hopelessness, and impulsivity than the NSSI-Only group. Risk assessments for adolescents with NSSI+SA should include consideration not only of the severity of clinical symptoms but of the current level impulsivity as well.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Female
  • Health Surveys
  • Humans
  • Impulsive Behavior* / physiopathology
  • Impulsive Behavior* / psychology
  • Male
  • Personality Assessment
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
  • Risk Factors
  • Self-Injurious Behavior / psychology*
  • Suicide, Attempted / psychology*
  • Suicide, Attempted / statistics & numerical data