Advancing a temporal framework for understanding the biology of nonsuicidal self- injury: An expert review

Michael Kaess; Jill M Hooley; Bonnie Klimes-Dougan; Julian Koenig; Paul L Plener; Corinna Reichl; Kealagh Robinson; Christian Schmahl; Maurizio Sicorello; Mindy Westlund Schreiner; Kathryn R Cullen

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.08.022

Advancing a temporal framework for understanding the biology of nonsuicidal self- injury: An expert review

Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2021 Nov:130:228-239. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.08.022. Epub 2021 Aug 24.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address: michael.kaess@upd.ch.
² Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
³ Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
⁴ University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Cologne, Germany.
⁵ Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
⁶ University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
⁷ School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
⁸ Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Germany.
⁹ Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.

Abstract

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a serious clinical problem, particularly for adolescents and young adults. NSSI is a complex behavior that emerges through the intersecting effects of social, psychological, and biological mechanisms. Although the social and psychological contributions to risk for developing NSSI are relatively well understood and have guided the development of effective psychosocial treatments for self-injury, the biological mechanisms underlying NSSI have just begun to come to light. To evaluate and categorize the biological research conducted on the topic of NSSI, we propose a model that distinguishes between trait and state markers. According to this model, risk factors and mechanisms involved in NSSI can be distinguished into both trait and state factors. We review the existing evidence on distal biological traits (predictors) of NSSI, proximal biological traits (correlates) of NSSI, and biological states directly preceding or following NSSI. We conclude by providing recommendations for future research on the neurobiology of NSSI.

Keywords: Neurobiology; Nonsuicidal self- injury; States; Temporal framework; Traits.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Humans
Neurobiology
Phenotype
Risk Factors
Self-Injurious Behavior*
Young Adult

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

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