title: Theory of mind in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) adolescents.
abstract: The aim of the present study is to investigate different facets of the theory of mind (ToM), i.e. first vs. third-person, first vs. second-order ToM, egocentric vs. allocentric perspective, in a clinical sample of 20 non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) adolescent inpatients and 20 healthy controls.
  
  
  
  We investigated whether performance in ToM tasks was related to both the type and frequency of self-injuring behavior and attitude toward life and death, using a semi-structured interview and different self-report questionnaires.
  
  
  
  NSSI participants performed less well than the control group in all the ToM dimensions investigated. Furthermore, ToM performance was negatively related to Attraction to Death, in terms of both the type and frequency of self-injuring behavior, and it was positively related to Attraction to Life.
  
  
  
  These preliminary findings have interesting implications for future clinical investigations, in that they provide previously unavailable information regarding the association between ToM and NSSI behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental and Social and Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza, University of Rome, Via dei Marsi, 78, 00185 Roma, Italy. Electronic address: fiorenzo.laghi@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Fiorenzo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Laghi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Child and Adolescent Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza, University of Rome, Via dei Sabelli 108, 00185 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: Arianna.terrinoni00@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Arianna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Terrinoni
authors.affiliation: Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza, University of Rome, Via dei Marsi, 78, 00185 Roma, Italy. Electronic address: rita.cerutti@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cerutti
authors.affiliation: Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza, University of Rome, Via dei Marsi, 78, 00185 Roma, Italy. Electronic address: fiorellafantini@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Fiorella
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fantini
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Child and Adolescent Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza, University of Rome, Via dei Sabelli 108, 00185 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Galosi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Child and Adolescent Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza, University of Rome, Via dei Sabelli 108, 00185 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: mauro.ferrara@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferrara
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Center for Cognitive Science, University of Torino, Via Po 14, 10123 Torino, Italy. Electronic address: francesca.bosco@unito.it.
authors.forename: Francesca Marina
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Bosco
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D057566:Self Report; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D056345:Theory of Mind
keywords: Adolescent inpatients; Non-suicidal self-injury; Self-injuring behavior; Suicidal ideation; Theory of mind