Emotion Regulation Dysfunctions in NSSI Adolescents in Naturalistic Contexts

NCT05907421 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: BAM_lab_NSSI_01
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 80
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is defined as direct, deliberate bodily harm without suicidal intention. Recent studies indicate that prevalence rates are increasing worldwide, in particular under adolescents, indicating a growing public health issue. An impaired ability to regulate negative emotion has been suggested to play a potential role in NSSI behavior. Some recent interventions aim at improving dysfunctional emotion regulation via 'acceptance'. Acceptance represents an objective, nonreactive, nonjudgmental, and calming emotion regulation strategy, partly based on the philosophy of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) that has been widely used in the clinical treatment of NSSI behaviors. The aim of the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study is to examine whether adolescents with NSSI can implement the acceptance strategy in naturalistic emotional contexts (immersive video clips) and whether they differ from healthy controls in terms of behavioral and neural effects. To this end, the investigators recruit one group of NSSI adolescents (n=40) and one healthy control group (n=40), to compare the subjective emotional experience as well as underlying neural activity as measured by blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI. The investigators hypothesize that compared to HC, NSSI adolescents will experience stronger negative emotions and show dysregulated neural recruitment of brain systems engaged in emotional reactivity and regulations (e.g. limbic regions, default mode network, and frontal regions).

Conditions

Nonsuicidal Self Injury; Emotion Regulation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Negative subjective emotional experience as indexed by self-report

  Subjects will rate their negative affect on a scale ranging from 1-9 in response to neutral and negative emotional stimuli during normal experience or acceptance. Alterations in the patients will be determined by using ANOVA models with the group (NSSI vs. HC) as a between-subject factor and emotion regulation condition as a within-subject factor.

  About 30 minutes

• Neural activity as indexed by BOLD fMRI

  Brain activity will be monitored by task-based fMRI. Alterations in the patients will be determined by the experimental groups (NSSI vs. HC) with respect to the emotion regulation conditions.

  About 30 minutes

Study Arms (2)

NSSI

Behavioral: Acceptance mindset

HC

Behavioral: Acceptance mindset

Interventions

Acceptance mindset BEHAVIORAL

Brief training of acceptance versus emotional reactivity as emotion regulation strategy.

HC; NSSI

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 15 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Treatment-seeking NSSI individuals will be recruited from local hospitals and HC from the community.

You may qualify if:

• years
• right-handed
• normal or corrected normal visual acuity
• meet the proposed DSM-5 frequency criteria (e.g., ≥5 days of NSSI behaviors in the past year)

You may not qualify if:

• diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, major depressive disorder, other psychiatric disorders, etc.
• high suicidal risk
• recent use of medications that can affect neural activity
• have received or are receiving Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) other treatment for emotional problems within the past 6 months
• have a contraindication to MRI scanning (e.g., metal implants, claustrophobia or other conditions that make them inappropriate for MRI scanning)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Electronic Science and Technology of China: lead

Study Sites (1)

Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Chengdu, Sichuan, China

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Self-Injurious Behavior; Emotional Regulation

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Self-Control; Social Behavior

Central Study Contacts

Benjamin Becker

CONTACT

+86.028-61830867; ben_becker@gmx.de

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: CASE CONTROL
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 7, 2023
• First Posted: June 18, 2023
• Study Start: December 6, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2027
• Last Updated: April 11, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-04

Locations

CN (1)