(PS9-B38) Testing the Benefits and Barriers Model of Non-suicidal Self-injury: Predicting Intensity of Self-injury

Title. Testing the Benefits and Barriers Model of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: Predicting Intensity of Self-Injury

Authors: Manfredo Flores Cruz, M.A., Abigail Evans, Rashanna Turner, & Nicholas L. Salsman, Ph.D., ABPP, Xavier University.

Problem: Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a highly prevalent behavior that is related to significant mental health consequences. A recently developed model for NSSI, the Benefits and Barriers model, focuses on the barriers that stop people from engaging in NSSI and the benefits that act as maintenance factors for the behavior (Hooley & Franklin, 2018). The present study sought to examine the relationship between the benefits and barriers model and more recent and frequent NSSI.

Method: Community-dwelling adults were recruited through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk service (MTurk) and answered questions related to each element of the Benefits and Barriers model of NSSI. The measures included benefits measures: Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Beliefs Scale and the Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Expectancy Questionnaire. The measures of barriers were: Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Beliefs Scale, an Exposure to NSSI Checklist, The English Language Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire, the Levels of Self-Criticism Scale, and the Open Affective Standardized Image Set. A total of 231 participants were included in the study. Among these participants, 122 reported a history of NSSI while 109 did not report a history of NSSI.  

Results: A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted with one independent variable, history of NSSI, and 5 dependent variables defined as the barriers of NSSI. There was a statistically significant difference between individuals who reported a history of NSSI and individuals who did not report a history of NSSI on the combined dependent variables, F(5, 225) = 15.122, p < .001; Pillai’s Trace = .252, partial η² = .252. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted with one independent variable, history of NSSI, and 4 dependent variables, the benefits of NSSI. There was a statistically significant difference between individuals who reported a history of NSSI and individuals who did not report a history of NSSI on the combined dependent variables, F(4, 226) = 15.018, p < .001; Pillai’s Trace = .210, partial η² = .210. A multiple linear regression analysis was used to predict the recency of NSSI engagement based on all nine elements of the benefits and barriers model. A significant regression equation was found F(9, 112) = 3.88, p < .001, R² = .237.

Discussion: This study demonstrates that individuals who have a history of NSSI are significantly different in all measures of benefits and barriers than individuals without a history of NSSI. They report fewer barriers to engaging in NSSI and report higher benefits. Further, maladaptive expectancies of emotion regulation significantly predict more recent NSSI engagement. Although there are numerous functions of NSSI, emotion regulation benefits appear to be significantly correlated with the onset and maintenance of NSSI.