Symposia
Suicide and Self-Injury
Alexa M. Raudales, M.A.
University of Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Manshu Yang, Ph.D.
Professor
University of Rhode Island
Kingston, Rhode Island
Heather Schatten, Ph.D.
Professor
Brown University & Butler Hospital
Providence, Rhode Island
Michael Armey, PhD
Associate Professor of Research
Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
providence, Rhode Island
Nicole Weiss, Ph.D.
Professor
University of Rhode Island
Kingston, Rhode Island
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a persistent public health problem and one of the strongest predictors of death by suicide. NSSI can be understood within an emotion dysregulation framework. However, this work is limited by a reliance on cross-sectional methods, precluding conclusions about the nature and direction of effects. Furthermore, NSSI commonly co-occurs with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Yet, there is a scarcity of studies exploring how PTSD may influence the role of emotion dysregulation in risk for NSSI. This study addressed these gaps in the literature using a dynamic, micro-longitudinal approach among survivors of sexual assault, a population at high risk for poor clinical outcomes. We hypothesized (1) daily reciprocal effects between emotion dysregulation and NSSI, and (2) a moderating effect of PTSD on these relations. Participants were 131 sexual assault survivors from the community (Mage = 35.54; 65.6% women; 81.7% white). PTSD diagnosis was assessed at baseline; Emotion dysregulation and NSSI were assessed once daily for the subsequent seven days. Dynamic structural equation modeling was used to assess reciprocal daily relations, and PTSD was entered as a level-two moderator in subsequent analyses. At the within-person level, significant cross-lagged effects for NSSI on next-day emotion dysregulation were found. However, significant cross-lagged effects did not emerge for emotion dysregulation on next-day NSSI. Results did not detect a moderating effect of PTSD on the relation between emotion dysregulation and NSSI. However, at the between-person level, results showed that individuals with greater PTSD at baseline reported heightened levels of NSSI and emotion dysregulation over the course of the study. These findings suggested that NSSI may exacerbate emotion dysregulation; this, in turn, may increase a wide range of negative outcomes associated with emotion dysregulation across time (e.g., psychopathology and other maladaptive behaviors). Further, this study highlighted a role of PTSD in identifying differences in risk for NSSI among sexual assault survivors. This information may be used for prevention and intervention efforts.