Low physiological arousal and high impulsivity as predictors of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors among adolescents

• Published in: Journal of adolescence (London, England.) Vol. 62; no. 1; pp. 55 - 60
• Main Authors: Aldrich, Jaclyn T., Wielgus, Madeline D., Mezulis, Amy H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2018; John Wiley & Sons, Inc
• Subjects: Adolescence; Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior - psychology; Adolescents; Arousal - physiology; Child; Depression - complications; Female; Humans; Impulsive Behavior - physiology; Impulsivity; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Physiological arousal; Self destructive behavior; Self-Injurious Behavior - psychology; Self-injurious thoughts and behaviors; Stress; Studies; Sympathetic Nervous System - physiology; Teenagers; United States; United States; United States > US; Physiological arousal; Adolescence; Impulsivity; Self-injurious thoughts and behaviors
• ISSN: 0140-1971; 1095-9254
• DOI: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.11.006

Self-injurious thoughts and behaviors are used to escape or regulate aversive physiological states during stress. Low sympathetic nervous system arousal during stress has been shown to confer risk. This risk may be exacerbated by trait impulsivity; adolescents high in impulsivity are more likely to rashly use maladaptive regulation strategies. We examined this relationship longitudinally in a sample of adolescents ages 10 to 14 (55.4% female) from the United States. Consistent with our hypothesis, low arousal during stress and high trait impulsivity interacted to predict the use of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors over a six-month period. This study extends and clarifies previous research findings regarding the relationship between physiological arousal and self-injurious thoughts and behaviors.