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

Abstract 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 dec...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychiatry research 2015-10, Vol.229 (3), p.983-991
Main Authors: Schatten, Heather T, Andover, Margaret S, Armey, Michael F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Behavior Rating Scale
Decision Making
Distress
Emotions
Ethnic Groups
Exclusion
Female
Gambling
Humans
Male
Problem-solving
Psychiatry
Self-harm
Self-Injurious Behavior - psychology
Self-injury
Stress, Psychological - psychology
Young Adult
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Summary:Abstract 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.
ISSN:0165-1781
1872-7123
DOI:10.1016/j.psychres.2015.05.087