Predicting Persistence of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Suicidal Adolescents

Prospective predictors of persistent nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) were examined in adolescents admitted to an inpatient psychiatric unit for suicidal behaviors and followed naturalistically for 6months. Seventy-one (77%) participants reported NSSI at baseline, and 40 (56%) persisted at the 6month follow-up. Those who endorsed automatic positive reinforcement (APR) as the predominant reason for NSSI were more likely to persist in NSSI. Depression over follow-up, but not at baseline, also predicted persistence. These results suggest that helping high-risk adolescents to identify alternative ways of generating emotion(s) to counter the effects of APR that may accompany NSSI should be a high priority treatment target.