Am J Psychiatry 164:820-823, May 2007
doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.164.5.820
© 2007 American Psychiatric Association
Assessment of Self-Injurious Thoughts Using a Behavioral Test
Matthew K. Nock, Ph.D., and
Mahzarin R. Banaji, Ph.D.
OBJECTIVE: The assessment of self-injurious thoughts has been limited by a reliance on what individuals are willing or able to report explicitly. The authors examined a new method that measures self-injurious thoughts by using individuals’ reaction times to self-injury-related stimuli on a computerized test. METHOD: Eighty-nine adolescents who were not self-injurious (N=36) or had recently engaged in nonsuicidal self-injury (N=53) completed two versions of the Self-Injury Implicit Association Test, which measure the automatic association of self-injury with oneself and with favorableness. Results The tests revealed significant behavioral differences between the self-injurers and noninjurers. Moreover, test scores significantly improved the statistical prediction of nonsuicidal self-injury beyond that achieved with demographic and psychiatric factors. CONCLUSIONS: These initial results support the validity of the Self-Injury Implicit Association Test as a performance-based measure of self-injurious thoughts. Future research should further examine the usefulness of incorporating implicit measures in risk assessment and decision-making procedures for self-injury and other sensitive clinical behaviors.
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
|
|
 
M. K. Nock, G. Borges, E. J. Bromet, C. B. Cha, R. C. Kessler, and S. Lee
Suicide and Suicidal Behavior
Epidemiol. Rev.,
November 1, 2008;
30(1):
133 - 154.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
Get information about faster international access.
Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2007
American Psychiatric Association.
All rights reserved.
Home
| Search
| Current Issue
| Past Issues
| Subscribe
| All APPI Journals
| Help
| Contact Us
|
