Self-Injury Treatment and Recovery in Veterans (STRIVe)

February 17, 2026 updated by: VA Office of Research and Development

A Brief Intervention to Reduce Nonsuicidal Self-Injury and Improve Functioning in Veterans

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) refers to the intentional destruction of one's own body tissue without suicidal intent and for purposes that are not socially sanctioned. While NSSI has been understudied among Veterans, the lifetime prevalence rate of NSSI in Veterans is approximately three times higher than the general population. Moreover, NSSI is associated with increased risk for violence, psychiatric distress, and marked impairment in psychosocial functioning. Even though NSSI is distinct from suicidal behaviors in several important ways, NSSI remains a strong predictor of a future suicide attempt. The primary goal of this project is to evaluate the treatment and acceptability of a brief intervention for NSSI that aims to reduce psychosocial impairment and NSSI behaviors in Veterans.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) refers to the intentional destruction of one's own body tissue without suicidal intent and for purposes that are not socially sanctioned. While NSSI has been understudied among Veterans, the lifetime prevalence rate of NSSI in Veterans is approximately three times higher than the general population. Moreover, NSSI is associated with increased risk for violence, psychiatric distress, and marked impairment in psychosocial functioning. Even though NSSI is distinct from suicidal behaviors in several important ways, NSSI remains a strong predictor of a future suicide attempt. The primary goal of this project is to evaluate the treatment and acceptability of a brief intervention for NSSI that aims to reduce psychosocial impairment and NSSI behaviors in Veterans. This treatment, known as the Treatment for Self-Injurious Behaviors (T-SIB) incorporates evidence-based approaches to replace NSSI with behaviors that improve psychoso ial functioning. A core component of T-SIB is functional assessment that identifies the antecedents and consequences of NSSI. This project will enhance T-SIB by using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to conduct NSSI functional assessment in-vivo. EMA reduces retrospective recall bias and can increase engagement with therapeutic goals.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

40

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • North Carolina
      • Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27705-3875
        • Recruiting
        • Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Tate F Halverson, PhD

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 18 years of age or older
  • Past service in the United States military
  • Nonsuicidal self-injury engagement on 2 occasions in past 30 days
  • Fluent in English
  • Able to provide voluntary informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Lifetime history of psychosis, mania, or hypomania
  • Imminent risk for suicide/homicide warranting immediate intervention
  • Unable/unwilling to complete study procedures

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: T-SIB
Participants randomized to the Treatment for Self-Injurious Behaviors (T-SIB) condition will receive nine sessions of T-SIB.
Behavioral: Treatment for Self-Injurious Behaviors
Treatment for Self-Injurious Behaviors (T-SIB) incorporates evidence-based approaches to replace NSSI with behaviors that improve psychosocial functioning.
Other Names:
  • T-SIB
Active Comparator: Treatment As Usual
Participants randomized to the TAU condition will be provided with referrals to both Durham VA and local community mental health resources and offered a consult for Durham VA mental health services.
Other: Treatment As Usual
Participants randomized to the TAU condition will be provided with referrals to both Durham VA and local community mental health resources and offered a consult for Durham VA mental health services.
Other Names:
  • TAU

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Feasibility as measured by number of participants enrolled
Time Frame: 2 years after study enrollment begins
All participants (N = 40) will need to be enrolled by the end of the second year of the study to consider the recruitment benchmark met.
2 years after study enrollment begins
Feasibility as measured rate of retention
Time Frame: End of treatment, about nine weeks after beginning the study
Retention will be measured by the number of participants who complete at least six T-SIB treatment sessions. This benchmark will be considered meet if at least 2/3 of the 20 participants randomized to T-SIB complete at least 6 treatment sessions.
End of treatment, about nine weeks after beginning the study

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of participants who report satisfaction with the T-SIB treatment
Time Frame: End of treatment, about nine weeks after beginning the study
Participant satisfaction will be measured with the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8). Total scores on the CSQ-8 range from 8 to 32, which higher scores indicating higher satisfaction. A cut score of 24 will be used such that if the CSQ-8 score exceeds 24, that patient is deemed to have been satisfied with the treatment.
End of treatment, about nine weeks after beginning the study

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

VA Office of Research and Development

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Tate F Halverson, PhD, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

October 15, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

March 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 14, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 28, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

August 1, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 19, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 17, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • D4803-W
  • 1745432 (Other Identifier: VA IRB)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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