Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is the deliberate destruction of one's own body tissue (e.g., cutting, skin picking, biting, hitting) without conscious suicidal intent. Cognitive and affective difficulties may contribute to the development and maintenance of NSSI, such that emotion regulation may mediate the link between cognitive control difficulties and NSSI in youth. This study examined developmental links between cognitive control and emotion regulation on several facets of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors in a large sample of youth, collected via the ABCD Study (N=6447). Although a mediation of emotion regulation on cognitive control and self-injurious thoughts and behaviors was not supported, important direct effects were found between neural correlates of inhibition (at ages 9-10 years) on NSSI at 11-12 years, and behavioral measures of cognitive flexibility (at 10-11 years) and inhibition (at 9-10 years) on suicidality at 11-12 years. Further, links between poorer cognitive control and poorer emotion regulation were found. An exploratory aim of this study was examining the potential moderating role of autistic traits on significant associations. Although greater autistic traits significantly predicted presence of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors, this study did not find a moderation of autistic traits. These results provide developmental risk markers for NSSI and suicidality in youth. / Doctor of Philosophy / Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is the direct and intentional harm to one's own body (e.g., cutting, skin picking, biting, hitting) without suicidal intent. One's ability to regulate their cognitions and emotions may explain risk and continuation of NSSI and other suicidal thoughts and behaviors. In specific, one's ability to regulate their emotions may explain the relationship between cognitive control and NSSI in youth. This study examined the relationship between cognitive control and emotion regulation on NSSI and suicidality in a large sample of youth, , collected from the ABCD Study (N=6447). Although emotion regulation did not explain the relationship between cognitive control and NSSI or suicidality, results showed that brain activation when trying to inhibit a response at ages 9-10 related to presence of NSSI at ages 11-12. Additionally, behavior related to one's ability to flexibly shift (at ages 10-11) and inhibit responses (at ages 9-10) related to suicidality at ages 11-12. Links between poorer cognitive control and poorer emotion regulation were also found. Recent work has also found that autistic youth have high rates of NSSI and suicidality, thus, the level of autistic traits on these relationships were evaluated. Although greater autistic traits significantly predicted presence of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors, this study did not find that level of autistic traits impacted links between cognitive control, emotion regulation, and NSSI or suicidality. These results provide developmental risk markers for NSSI and suicidality in youth.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/111166 |
| Date | 07 July 2022 |
| Creators | Antezana, Ligia Danitsa |
| Contributors | Psychology, Richey, John A., Trestman, Robert L., Ollendick, Thomas H., Chiu, Pearl H., Bodfish, James W. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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