Self-Injurious Behavior
Conditions
Keywords
Self-Injurious Behavior, Veterans
Brief summary
Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) refers to the intentional destruction of one's own body tissue without suicidal intent and for purposes that are not socially sanctioned. While NSSI has been understudied among Veterans, the lifetime prevalence rate of NSSI in Veterans is approximately three times higher than the general population. Moreover, NSSI is associated with increased risk for violence, psychiatric distress, and marked impairment in psychosocial functioning. Even though NSSI is distinct from suicidal behaviors in several important ways, NSSI remains a strong predictor of a future suicide attempt. The primary goal of this project is to evaluate the treatment and acceptability of a brief intervention for NSSI that aims to reduce psychosocial impairment and NSSI behaviors in Veterans.
Detailed description
Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) refers to the intentional destruction of one's own body tissue without suicidal intent and for purposes that are not socially sanctioned. While NSSI has been understudied among Veterans, the lifetime prevalence rate of NSSI in Veterans is approximately three times higher than the general population. Moreover, NSSI is associated with increased risk for violence, psychiatric distress, and marked impairment in psychosocial functioning. Even though NSSI is distinct from suicidal behaviors in several important ways, NSSI remains a strong predictor of a future suicide attempt. The primary goal of this project is to evaluate the treatment and acceptability of a brief intervention for NSSI that aims to reduce psychosocial impairment and NSSI behaviors in Veterans. This treatment, known as the Treatment for Self-Injurious Behaviors (T-SIB) incorporates evidence-based approaches to replace NSSI with behaviors that improve psychoso ial functioning. A core component of T-SIB is functional assessment that identifies the antecedents and consequences of NSSI. This project will enhance T-SIB by using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to conduct NSSI functional assessment in-vivo. EMA reduces retrospective recall bias and can increase engagement with therapeutic goals.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALTreatment for Self-Injurious Behaviors
Treatment for Self-Injurious Behaviors (T-SIB) incorporates evidence-based approaches to replace NSSI with behaviors that improve psychosocial functioning.
OTHERTreatment As Usual
Participants randomized to the TAU condition will be provided with referrals to both Durham VA and local community mental health resources and offered a consult for Durham VA mental health services.
Sponsors
VA Office of Research and Development
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* 18 years of age or older * Past service in the United States military * Nonsuicidal self-injury engagement on 2 occasions in past 30 days * Fluent in English * Able to provide voluntary informed consent
Exclusion criteria
* Lifetime history of psychosis, mania, or hypomania * Imminent risk for suicide/homicide warranting immediate intervention * Unable/unwilling to complete study procedures
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feasibility as measured by number of participants enrolled | 2 years after study enrollment begins | All participants (N = 40) will need to be enrolled by the end of the second year of the study to consider the recruitment benchmark met. |
| Feasibility as measured rate of retention | End of treatment, about nine weeks after beginning the study | Retention will be measured by the number of participants who complete at least six T-SIB treatment sessions. This benchmark will be considered meet if at least 2/3 of the 20 participants randomized to T-SIB complete at least 6 treatment sessions. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participants who report satisfaction with the T-SIB treatment | End of treatment, about nine weeks after beginning the study | Participant satisfaction will be measured with the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8). Total scores on the CSQ-8 range from 8 to 32, which higher scores indicating higher satisfaction. A cut score of 24 will be used such that if the CSQ-8 score exceeds 24, that patient is deemed to have been satisfied with the treatment. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
CONTACTTate F Halverson, PhD
CONTACTAngela C Kirby, MS
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORTate F Halverson, PhD
Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC
Outcome results
None listed