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Impulsivity and Response Latency in Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: The Role of Negative Urgency in Emotion Regulation

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Abstract

Impulsivity is thought to be a contributing factor in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), yet the research is limited and inconsistent. In particular, little is known about how impulsivity is associated with response latency between initial urge and later self-injury, emotion regulation processes, or severity of NSSI. In this study, we tested group differences between participants with and without a history of NSSI on a questionnaire measure of impulsivity. In addition, we tested hypothesized correlations between impulsivity and relevant variables within the NSSI sample using questionnaires and self-reported response latency between urge and injury. Participants included 159 undergraduate students, 84 with an NSSI history and 75 without an NSSI history. Results indicated greater impulsivity on facets of Urgency and (lack of) Perseverance for the NSSI group. Within the NSSI sample, facets of impulsivity were associated with difficulties in emotion regulation and NSSI severity, but not response latency. In addition, response latency, a possible behavioral marker of impulsivity, was not associated with emotion regulation processes or NSSI frequency. These results suggest that higher scores on self-report measures of impulsivity, but not behavioral response latency measures, are associated with emotion regulation processes in individuals who self-injure.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Wyoming, 3415 1000 E. University Ave, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA

    Brooke L. Maxfield & Carolyn M. Pepper

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  1. Brooke L. Maxfield
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  2. Carolyn M. Pepper
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Correspondence to Carolyn M. Pepper.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Maxfield, B.L., Pepper, C.M. Impulsivity and Response Latency in Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: The Role of Negative Urgency in Emotion Regulation. Psychiatr Q 89, 417–426 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-017-9544-5

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