Which Adolescent Girls Are Vulnerable to Nonsuicidal Self-Injury?

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), one of the strongest predictors of later suicidality, typically begins in adolescence. Disinhibition and impulsivity might predispose a person to NSSI, inasmuch as some individuals struggle to suppress an urgency to act in the face of strong negative emotions. Neuroticism, rumination, self-criticism, and other traits associated with negative affect are also believed to be risk factors. Investigators in this study assessed whether measures of disinhibition and negative affect could prospectively predict first-onset NSSI in 462 girls, with no history of major depression or dysthymia (mean age, 14).

The participants completed baseline measures of disinhibition and negative affect, as well as of adolescent psychop…