Social Feedback and Dysfunctional Risk Taking in NSSI Adolescents

Risk and Social Feedback in Adolescents With Nonsuicidal Self-Injury

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is defined as direct, intentional physical injury without suicidal intention. Problematic interpersonal relationships and decision-making have been demonstrated to play crucial roles in this maladaptive behavior, especially for adolescents. Accumulating evidence suggests that decision processes and risk-taking are strongly influenced by the affective state of the individual. However, whether these interactions are disrupted in NSSI adolescents has not been systematically examined. In the current study, the investigators modified one of the most widely used paradigms for measuring an individual's risk decision-making, the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART). The investigators combine social reward (green balloon), punishment (red balloon), and control feedback (yellow balloon), to investigate whether the NSSI adolescents have dysfunctional risk-taking behavior while facing different social outcomes. The investigators recruit one group of NSSI adolescents (n = 40) and one health control (HC) group (n = 40), to compare their risk-related decisions during the emotional BART. The investigators hypothesize that compared to HC, NSSI adolescents will show altered effects of social reward and punishment on risk-related decision-making, in particular higher risk avoidance in the context of social punishment.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Nonsuicidal Self Injury; Risk-Taking

• 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: Yes

• 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
Risky avoidance measured by BART	Adjusted number of pumps (average number of pumps excluding balloons that exploded) as the index of risk avoidance. Alterations in the patients will be determined by using ANOVA models with the group (NSSI vs. HC) as a between-subject factor and emotional feedback (social reward, social punishment, and control) as a within-subject factor.	About 20 minutes
Decision-making measured by BART	Earned money (total amount of money earned in the task) as the index of decision-making. Alterations in the patients will be determined by using ANOVA models with the group (NSSI vs. HC) as a between-subject factor and emotional feedback (social reward, social punishment, and control) as a within-subject factor.	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_03

Drug and device information, study documents

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