Background and objectives

Identification with non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is uniquely related to NSSI behavior and predicts future NSSI. This exploratory, mixed methods study used implicit and explicit approaches to further understanding of NSSI identity. Methods: Participants included 15 treatment-seeking adults (60% female, 87% Caucasian) with lifetime NSSI. Participant age ranged from 19 to 38 years (M = 25.33, SD = 6.10). Implicit tasks were completed at two time points in a test-retest design, followed by a qualitative interview.

Results

Qualitative data suggest that explicit NSSI identity is relevant to some individuals with NSSI history. Mixed methods analyses indicate that individuals who explicitly identify with NSSI have stronger implicit NSSI identities than those who do not, and report more methods of NSSI on average.

Limitations

Results are novel, although exploratory in nature due to the sample size, and may not be generalizable to non-clinical samples or individuals currently engaging in NSSI.

Conclusions

Individuals with stronger explicit identity evidence higher implicit identity scores, suggesting a potential higher risk profile for future NSSI. This study offers further support for the value of including both implicit and explicit assessment of NSSI identity in risk assessment.

中文翻译：

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一种探索性混合方法，用于对非自杀性自伤进行内隐和外显识别。

背景和目标

对非自杀性自伤 (NSSI) 的认同与 NSSI 行为唯一相关并预测未来的 NSSI。这项探索性的混合方法研究使用隐式和显式方法来进一步了解 NSSI 身份。方法：参与者包括 15 名患有终生 NSSI 的寻求治疗的成年人（60% 女性，87% 白人）。参与者年龄范围为 19 至 38 岁（M  = 25.33，SD  = 6.10）。在测试-再测试设计中的两个时间点完成隐式任务，然后是定性访谈。

结果

定性数据表明，明确的 NSSI 身份与一些具有 NSSI 历史的个人有关。混合方法分析表明，明确认同 NSSI 的个体比不认同的个体具有更强的隐性 NSSI 身份，并且平均报告了更多的 NSSI 方法。

限制

结果是新颖的，尽管由于样本量而本质上是探索性的，并且可能无法推广到非临床样本或目前从事 NSSI 的个人。

结论

具有更强显性身份的个体表明更高的隐性身份分数，表明未来 NSSI 的潜在风险更高。本研究进一步支持在风险评估中包括对 NSSI 身份的隐式和显式评估的价值。