Impulsivity and Response Latency in Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: The Role of Negative Urgency in Emotion Regulation

Oct 12, 2017The Psychiatric quarterly

Impulsivity and Reaction Speed in Self-Harm Without Suicide Thoughts: How Urgent Negative Emotions Affect Emotion Control

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Abstract

Participants with a history of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) scored higher on impulsivity measures compared to those without such a history.

The NSSI group exhibited greater impulsivity, specifically in the areas of Urgency and (lack of) Perseverance.
Within the NSSI group, higher impulsivity scores correlated with greater difficulties in regulating emotions and increased severity of NSSI.
Response latency, or the time between the urge and the act of self-injury, was not found to be associated with emotion regulation or NSSI frequency.
Impulsivity, as measured by self-reports, may relate to emotional challenges in individuals who self-injure, while behavioral response measures do not reflect this association.

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Impulsivity is thought to be a contributing factor in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), yet the research is limited and inconsistent. In particular, little is known about how impulsivity is associated with response latency between initial urge and later self-injury, emotion regulation processes, or severity of NSSI. In this study, we tested group differences between participants with and without a history of NSSI on a questionnaire measure of impulsivity. In addition, we tested hypothesized correlations between impulsivity and relevant variables within the NSSI sample using questionnaires and self-reported response latency between urge and injury. Participants included 159 undergraduate students, 84 with an NSSI history and 75 without an NSSI history. Results indicated greater impulsivity on facets of Urgency and (lack of) Perseverance for the NSSI group. Within the NSSI sample, facets of impulsivity were associated with difficulties in emotion regulation and NSSI severity, but not response latency. In addition, response latency, a possible behavioral marker of impulsivity, was not associated with emotion regulation processes or NSSI frequency. These results suggest that higher scores on self-report measures of impulsivity, but not behavioral response latency measures, are associated with emotion regulation processes in individuals who self-injure.

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Impulsivity and Response Latency in Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: The Role of Negative Urgency in Emotion Regulation

Abstract

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