An Intervention for Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Young Adults: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is prevalent among young adults and associated with negative medical and psychological consequences, necessitating its treatment. However, few treatments have been developed to treat NSSI specifically, or to treat the behavior among individuals without borderline personality disorder. The purpose of this study was to investigate the Treatment for Self-Injurious Behaviors (T-SIB), a brief, behavioral intervention specifically developed to treat NSSI among young adults, in a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT). Method: Young adults (N = 33; age: M = 22.36 years, SD = 3.40) meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomly assigned to the treatment (T-SIB; n = 15) or treatment as usual (n = 18) condition. The sample was 93.9% female, 42.4% Caucasian, and 30.3% Hispanic/Latino. Results: Feasibility and acceptability of the study and intervention were supported, and medium effects were found for decreased NSSI frequency in the T-SIB group using intent-to-treat analyses. Conclusion: Results of this study support the further evaluation of T-SIB in a larger RCT. What is the public health significance of this article? A novel intervention for nonsuicidal self-injury was compared to treatment as usual in a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT). The feasibility and acceptability of the treatment and study design were supported. Medium effect sizes for decreased nonsuicidal self-injury behaviors among the Treatment for Self-Injurious Behaviors condition add support for a larger RCT to further evaluate the intervention.