Citation

Ammerman BA, Kleiman EM, Jenkins AL, Berman ME, McCloskey MS. Crisis 2016; 38(4): 227-236.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, International Association for Suicide Prevention, Publisher Hogrefe Publishing)

DOI

10.1027/0227-5910/a000436

PMID

27869505

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Self-injurious behavior (e.g., nonsuicidal self-injury, suicide attempts) is a serious public health concern. One potentially important but understudied predictor of nonsuicidal and suicidal self-injury involves the behavioral inhibition and activation system (BIS/BAS). AIMS: The goal of the current study was to examine the relationship between nonsuicidal and suicidal self-injury and BIS/BAS, and to consider the influence of related variables in the relationship. Examination through this framework allowed us to consider BIS and BAS as potential unique risk factors of self-injury.

METHOD: After examining the relationship between nonsuicidal and suicidal self-injury and BIS/BAS among 1,912 participants, we used propensity scores to match participants' propensity for nonsuicidal self-injury and suicide attempts based on demographic variables (e.g., gender, age) and related risk factors (e.g., anxiety, depressive symptomology, impulsivity, and substance use problems).

RESULTS: Participants who reported nonsuicidal self-injury or attempted suicide scored higher on BIS and BAS compared with those without a history of these behaviors. After matching procedures, however, the only group difference found was on BIS between those with and without a history of nonsuicidal self-injury.

CONCLUSION: Results support the notion that the behavioral inhibition system might play a role in nonsuicidal self-injury but not in suicidal self-injury.

Language: en