A Study Examining Adolescents With Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (RDoC)

A Longitudinal Study Examining Three RDoC Constructs in Adolescents With Non-Suicidal Self-Injury

This study will examine longitudinal brain development in young adolescent girls with a history of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI). Specifically, three constructs outlined by the the Research Domains Criteria (RDoC) will be examined through self-assessment, MRI, and a cognitive battery.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Self-Injurious Behavior; Deliberate Self-Harm

Detailed Description

This study is designed to study brain development in 12-14 year old females with a history of NSSI. Assessments will take place over the course of three years, with three visits per year - a total of nine visits.

The first visit will take place at the Ambulatory Research Center (ARC) at the Fairview Riverside hospital complex. This visit will include a number of questionnaires designed to gather information about the participant's physical and psychological health. Additionally, measures of intelligence quotient (IQ) and demographics will be assessed.

The second visit will again take place at the ARC. For this visit, participants will be asked to partake in the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) in which they prepare a short, five-minute speech and deliver the speech to an audience with an additional task to follow. The TSST will be videotaped. Following the completion of this task, the participant will complete computer tests in order to measure things like attention and memory. During the second visit, five saliva samples will be collected to measure levels of the hormone Cortisol. The participant will need to collect additional saliva samples at home.

The third visit will take place at the University of Minnesota Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR) and will involve a brain MRI. Before the MRI the participant will be asked to provide a urine sample and complete a drug and pregnancy test. During the MRI, the participant will be asked to lie quietly in the scanner. The participant will do activities such as resting, listening to music, and playing games using a button box while in the scanner.

The participant will need to come in to complete these assessments twice more at one and two years following the completion of the first set of visits - a total of nine visits overall.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 168

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Minnesota
    • Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 55455
      • University of Minnesota
    • Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 55454
      • Ambulatory Research Center (ARC)
    • Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 55455
      • Center for Magnetic Resonance Research

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 12 years to 16 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adolescents with a history of NSSI will be recruited from community outlets such as flyers, as well as through social media (e.g., Facebook and Pandora). Additionally, these adolescents will be recruited through local clinicians who treat adolescent mood disorders. Healthy controls will be recruited through community outlets and social media.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 12-16 years old
• Female
• Has had first menstruation
• Willingness to have de-identified data shared with RDoC database

Inclusion Criteria - Adolescents with Non-Suicidal Self-Injury:

• Any history of self harm

Inclusion Criteria - Healthy Controls:

• No history of self harm

Exclusion Criteria:

• Male
• Pregnancy
• MRI Incompatibility
• IQ of less than 80
• Major Medical Illness
• Diagnosis of any of the following: Primary Psychotic Disorder, Bipolar Spectrum Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Current or Past Substance Use Disorder

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Case-Control
• Time Perspectives: Prospective

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Adolescents with NSSI; 12-16 year old females who have a history of non-suicidal self-injury are included in this cohort. No interventions will be administered.
Healthy Controls; 12-16 year old females with no history of non-suicidal self-injury are included in this cohort.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview (SITBI)	This scale will be used to assess NSSI frequency in the past month, past year, and lifetime; average age of onset; severity of injuries (number of injuries per episode, severity of tissue damage -- worst point and average), function (automatic versus social, negative versus positive) and other information.	Baseline; 12 months; 24 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Saliva Cortisol Levels	As a measure of stress response, cortisol levels will be measured after administration of the Trier Social Stress Test. This test is designed to measure HPA axis functioning in the context of an interpersonal threat. Intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variability will be calculated. Summary indexes including slope and area under the curve estimates of cortisol in response to threat and resting conditions will be used in subsequent analyses.	Baseline; 12 months; 24 months
Change in Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSSI)	A 19-item interview, assesses current suicidal ideation, with ratings for active suicidal desire, specific suicide plans, and passive suicidal desire. If the adolescent is assessed to be at risk, a member of the research team will work with the family and the adolescent to develop a safety plan.	Baseline; 12 months; 24 months
Change in Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms (IDAS)	The IDAS is a 54-item assessment that provides a score for 11 domains; we will focus on general depression, suicidality, traumatic intrusion, panic, and social anxiety.	Baseline; 12 months; 24 months
Change in Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire	This assessment measures predicted interpersonal sensitivity and difficulties.	Baseline; 12 months; 24 months
Change in Personality Assessment Inventory, Adolescent Form (PAI-A)	A self-report personality indicator for adolescent populations based on 22 scales of psychological well-being.	Baseline; 12 months; 24 months
Change in the Dot-Probe Task	A computerized assessment designed to assess attentional bias to threat, as well as provide a behavioral measure of "vigilance" to threat (reaction times for a spatial task influenced by the presence of emotion faces).	Baseline; 12 months; 24 months
Change in Self Perception Profile for Adolescents	An assessment designed to evaluate and measure six self-concept domains: Scholastic Competence, Athletic Competence, Social Competence, Physical Appearance, and Behavioral Conduct and Global Self-Worth.	Baseline; 12 months; 24 months
Change in Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS)	This scale utilizes self-report measures of impulsiveness. It includes 30 items that are scored to yield six first-order factors (attention, motor, self-control, cognitive complexity, perseverance, and cognitive instability impulsiveness) and three second-order factors (attentional, motor, and non-planning impulsiveness).	Baseline; 12 months; 24 months
Change in UPPS-P	This measure will be used to determine "Negative Urgency", or the tendency of an individual to act impulsively while they are in a state of negative affect.	Baseline; 12 months; 24 months
Change in the Emotional Go/NoGo task	This measure will be used to assess response inhibition in the context of negative emotion contexts.	Baseline; 12 months; 24 months
Change in MRI Data	Cortical thickness, brain activation, and functional connectivity several key networks (fronto-striatal, fronto-limbic, and medial cortical network) will be measured using structural and functional MRI.	Baseline; 12 months; 24 months
Change in Timeline Followback Method (TLFB) for NSSI	A calendar format measure to retrospectively collect behavioral data that was adapted from an instrument for alcohol use will be used measure NSSI episodes that had occurred in the year between each visit.	Baseline; 12 months; 24 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Minnesota
• Collaborators: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Kathryn Cullen, University of Minnesota

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 1, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 18, 2022
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 18, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 17, 2016
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 26, 2016
• First Posted (Estimated): October 27, 2016

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 22, 2024
• Last Verified: March 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Depression; Anxiety
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Wounds and Injuries; Self-Injurious Behavior; Self Mutilation
• Other Study ID Numbers: PSYCH-2016-24795; 1R01MH107394-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)