Familial and individual correlates of nonsuicidal self-injury in the offspring of mood-disordered parents.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the demographic and clinical correlates of nonsuicidal self-injury.


METHODS
This is a cross-sectional analysis of a longitudinal cohort study of the familial transmission of suicidal behavior, conducted at referral centers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and New York, New York. Participants included 291 probands with DSM-IV mood disorder, one-half of whom had attempted suicide, and 507 of their offspring. The primary outcome assessed was nonsuicidal self-injury in offspring. Psychosocial correlates of nonsuicidal self-injury were determined by comparing personal, parental, and familial characteristics of offspring with and without nonsuicidal self-injury, assessed using a variety of interview and self-report measures at study entry. Data were collected between August 1998 and August 2007.


RESULTS
Of 507 offspring, 7.7% (n=39) had engaged in nonsuicidal self-injury. The most salient correlates of nonsuicidal self-injury on multivariate logistic regression were diagnosis of depression (OR=3.78, P<.001) and greater aggression (OR=1.07, P=.01), depressive symptoms (OR=1.59, P=.009), and suicidal ideation (OR=1.24, P=.004). Parental history of abuse, as well as family histories of suicide attempt and nonsuicidal self-injury, was noncontributory.


CONCLUSIONS
Nonsuicidal self-injury is associated with the presence and severity of depression, suicidal ideation, and behavioral dysregulation. On multivariate analysis, only individual predictors remained significant; this result is distinct from that for correlates of suicide attempt reported in this sample, for which familial variables played a significant role.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Lara J
LJ
Cox
Barbara H
BH
Stanley
Nadine M
NM
Melhem
Maria A
MA
Oquendo
Boris
B
Birmaher
Ainsley
A
Burke
David J
DJ
Kolko
Jamie M
JM
Zelazny
J John
JJ
Mann
Giovanna
G
Porta
David A
DA
Brent
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005192:Family Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D057566:Self Report; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D059020:Suicidal Ideation