Moderators of Treatment Response to an Intervention for Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Young Adults

Objective: Despite the prevalence and impact of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), there are few treatments developed to treat the behavior specifically, and little is known about moderators of treatment response. The Treatment for Self-Injurious Behaviors (T-SIB), a brief, behavioral intervention, was developed to treat NSSI in young adults; a previous pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing T-SIB with treatment as usual (TAU) provided support for the intervention. This study examined demographic, clinical, and NSSI-related predictors of treatment outcome in the pilot RCT for T-SIB. Method: Young adults (N = 33) were randomized to receive T-SIB or treatment as usual; all participants were included in intent-to-treat analyses. The primary outcome of NSSI behaviors was assessed at baseline, posttreatment (9 weeks), and 3-month follow up, and potential moderators were assessed at baseline. Results: Greater lifetime and last year NSSI frequency was associated with fewer NSSI behaviors at posttreatment and follow up among participants in T-SIB. Anxious symptoms also moderated treatment outcomes, but other demographic and clinical variables did not. Conclusion: Previous research has shown that T-SIB is more effective than TAU overall; the current study suggests that T-SIB may be effective for individuals with more frequent NSSI and those with elevated anxiety. A larger evaluation of T-SIB is supported. What is the public health significance of this article? Moderators of treatment effectiveness for the Treatment of Self-Injurious Behaviors (T-SIB), a novel intervention for nonsuicidal self-injury, were investigated in a preliminary study to guide future research and to investigate who might benefit most from the intervention. Although the study was limited by its small sample, findings support the use of T-SIB in individuals with a range of clinical and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) severity; T-SIB may be particularly effective for individuals with more frequent NSSI.