Physiological arousal, distress tolerance, and social problem-solving deficits among adolescent self-injurers.
It has been suggested that people engage in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) because they (a) experience heightened physiological arousal following stressful events and use NSSI to regulate experienced distress and (b) have deficits in their social problem-solving skills that interfere with the performance of more adaptive social responses. However, objective physiological and behavioral data supporting this model are lacking. The authors compared adolescent self-injurers (n = 62) with noninjurers (n = 30) and found that self-injurers showed higher physiological reactivity (skin conductance) during a distressing task, a poorer ability to tolerate this distress, and deficits in several social problem-solving abilities. These findings highlight the importance of attending to increased arousal, distress tolerance, and problem-solving skills in the assessment and treatment of NSSI.
Nock
Matthew K
MK
Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. nock@wjh.harvard.edu
Mendes
Wendy Berry
WB
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology*; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D012919:Social Behavior