Heather T. Schatten

The Red Zone: Temporal Risk for Unwanted Sex Among College Students

The “red zone” usually refers to the first few weeks of the first semester at college, when female students are believed to be at greatest risk for experiencing unwanted sex. We tested this notion using data from a survey study of 207 first-and second-year students (121 women, 84 men) at a small, liberal arts university. Results demonstrated only one significant elevation in incidence rates of first- and second-year womens unwanted sexual experiences (sexual touching, attempted and completed anal, oral, and vaginal sex), between the end of the first month and fall break (mid-October) during the second year at school. Previous research and local information about the relevant behaviors of sorority and fraternity members is discussed in light of these findings to provide heuristic material for further empirical testing. Because risk may involve both temporal and situational factors, systematic collection and dissemination of local data are recommended.

Research with adolescents who engage in non-suicidal self-injury: ethical considerations and challenges

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has emerged as a significant psychiatric issue among youth. In addition to its high prevalence rates, NSSI is associated with a number of psychiatric issues and confers risk for varying degrees of physical injury. It is also a risk factor for attempted suicide. Thus, youth who engage in NSSI represent a vulnerable and high-risk population and researchers are likely to encounter a variety of ethical challenges when conducting NSSI research. Accordingly, it is critical that researchers be familiar with the major ethical issues involved in NSSI research and how to effectively account for and address them. This is important both prior to obtaining clearance from their Institutional Review Boards and when carrying out their research. To date, there is no consolidated resource to delineate the ethical challenges inherent to NSSI research and how these can be effectively navigated throughout the research process. The goals of this paper are to review international best practices in NSSI research across the various contexts within which it is studied, to offer guidelines for managing these issues, to identify areas in which variation in approaches prohibits decisive recommendations, and to generate questions in need of further consideration among scholars in this field.

Development of an Intervention for Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Young Adults: An Open Pilot Trial

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a prevalent and dangerous behavior among young adults, but no treatments specific to NSSI have been developed for patients without borderline personality disorder. The purpose of this study was to develop and investigate a novel intervention for NSSI among young adults. The intervention is a 9-session behavioral treatment designed to decrease the frequency of NSSI behaviors and urges. Using an open pilot design, feasibility and acceptability were investigated in a small sample (n = 12) over a 3-month follow-up period. A preliminary investigation of change in NSSI was also conducted. Feasibility and acceptability of the intervention were supported. Medium to large effect sizes were found for decreases in NSSI behaviors and urges over the follow-up period. Results of this open pilot trial support the further evaluation of this intervention.

Neuropsychological Functioning in Prisoners with and Without Self-Injurious Behaviors: Implications for the Criminal Justice System

Neuropsychological functioning has not yet been investigated among prisoners who engage in self-injurious behaviors, specifically attempted suicide and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). The purpose of this study was to investigate neuropsychological functioning in prisoners with and without histories of NSSI and attempted suicide. The sample consisted of 173 male prisoners referred for neuropsychological evaluation. Of participants, 56% reported a history of self-injury. Performance on the neuropsychological domains of intelligence, memory, attention, motor functioning, and executive functioning was assessed. No group differences were found among those with NSSI, with NSSI and suicide attempts, and with no history of deliberate self-harm, although functioning was poor in all domains. Implications of the high prevalence of self-injury in this prison sample, as well as implications of impaired functioning on the treatment of self-injurious behaviors, are discussed.

An intervention for nonsuicidal self-injury in young adults: A pilot randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is prevalent among young adults and associated with negative medical and psychological consequences, necessitating its treatment. However, few treatments have been developed to treat NSSI specifically, or to treat the behavior among individuals without borderline personality disorder. The purpose of this study was to investigate the Treatment for Self-Injurious Behaviors (T-SIB), a brief, behavioral intervention specifically developed to treat NSSI among young adults, in a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT). Method: Young adults (N = 33; age: M = 22.36 years, SD = 3.40) meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomly assigned to the treatment (T-SIB; n = 15) or treatment as usual (n = 18) condition. The sample was 93.9% female, 42.4% Caucasian, and 30.3% Hispanic/Latino. Results: Feasibility and acceptability of the study and intervention were supported, and medium effects were found for decreased NSSI frequency in the T-SIB group using intent-to-treat analyses. Conclusion: Results of this study support the further evaluation of T-SIB in a larger RCT.

The roles of social stress and decision-making in non-suicidal self-injury

Research suggests that individuals with a history of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) do not have difficulty generating alternatives to social problems but choose more negative solutions, suggesting a deficit in decision-making. However, studies report no significant differences in risky decision-making on a performance-based task among individuals with and without NSSI histories. A limitation of these studies is that decision-making was only assessed at baseline. As individuals with a history of NSSI typically self-injure when experiencing negative emotions, decision-making ability may become impaired specifically in the presence of these emotions. The aim of the current study was to investigate decision-making ability among individuals with and without NSSI histories both at baseline and following a distressing social exclusion task. We compared individuals with (n=48) and without (n=72) NSSI histories on the Iowa Gambling Task, a behavioral measure of risky decision-making, before and after exclusion or inclusion on the Cyberball task. Results indicated no significant group differences in performance regardless of condition. When participants were grouped by racial/ethnic minority status, results indicated that non-Hispanic White individuals with a history of NSSI exhibited deterioration in risky decision-making ability following social exclusion. Potential explanations for these findings and clinical implications are discussed.

Non-Suicidal Self-Injury

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a prevalent and concerning behavior among adolescents and young adults that usually begins in early adolescence. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the behavior, its inclusion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, and factors related to the development of NSSI. As such, we review research on biological and genetic factors, as well as research on individual, family, social, and community risk and protective factors, that may influence risk for engaging in NSSI. Finally, we review evidence-based intervention and prevention programs for NSSI and present best practices for clinicians working with adolescents who engage in the behavior.

Assessment of Suicidal and Non-suicidal Self-injury in Anxiety Disorders

Suicide assessment is an important component of any thorough evaluation of symptoms associated with anxiety disorders. Nonsuicidal self-injury is less commonly assessed, but no less important as it contributes to morbidity in the target anxiety condition. Assessment methods, including functional evaluation and risk assessment, are described in order to fully integrate treatment of this facet of psychopathology into alleviating anxiety symptoms.