Impact of Emotional Reactivity on Dysfunctional Decision-Making in NSSI Adolescents

Effects of Emotional Reactivity on Decision-Making in Adolescents With Nonsuicidal Self-Injury

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is defined as direct, intentional physical injury without suicidal intention. Studies revealed that dysfunctional interpersonal relationships and reward-related decision-making may play crucial roles in this maladaptive behavior, especially in adolescents. These interpersonal decision contexts are characterized by constant updating of expectations of rewards and the actual received rewards as well as the associated emotional reactions. These processes have recently been computationally formalized as prediction errors (PE), specifically reward PEs, valence PEs, and arousal PEs (Heffner et al., 2021; Nat Hum Behav). In the current study, the investigators aim to investigate whether these PEs make discernible contributions to social decisions in the context of unfair experiences among adolescents with NSSI and matched healthy control adolescents (HC). Specifically the investigators hypothesized that: 1) reward and emotional PEs show significant predictions of punishment decisions in both groups, 2) however, compared to HC adolescents, the NSSI group will exhibit selective dysfunctions in emotional but not reward PEs leading to punish a norm proposer who provided unfair offers.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Nonsuicidal Self Injury; Prediction Errors

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 80

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Benjamin Becker; Phone Number: +86.028-61830867; Email: ben_becker@gmx.de

Study Locations

• China
  • Sichuan
    • Chengdu, Sichuan, China
      • Recruiting
      • Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
      • Contact: Lyuan Li; Email: lly_psychology@163.com

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: N/A

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 15-18 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)

Exclusion Criteria:

• 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)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
NSSI
HC

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Reward prediction errors (PEs)	Reward PEs will be calculated by the differences between the experienced (when be offered) reward and predicted (before the offer) reward.	About 20 minutes
Valence prediction errors (PEs)	Valence PEs will be calculated by the differences between the experienced emotional valence and predicted emotional valence.	About 20 minutes
Arousal prediction errors (PEs)	Arousal PEs will be calculated by the differences between the experienced emotional arousal and predicted emotional arousal.	About 20 minutes
The prediction of PEs of punishment decisions	All PEs and groups (NSSI, HC) will be used in a regression model to examined whether there is any alteration in the NSSI group when PEs are predicted to punishment (reject) decisions.	About 20 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 6, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 20, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 4, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): August 8, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 11, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 9, 2024
• Last Verified: April 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Self-Injurious Behavior
• Other Study ID Numbers: BAM_lab_NSSI_04

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No