ABSTRACT
Extant research indicates that dissociation may act as a risk factor for nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), but the data are mixed. In this study, 75 university and community females ages 18-35 were assessed for rates of normative, clinical, and severely clinical dissociation as well as for NSSI. Significant differences in normative dissociation were found between the control group and the group reporting a history of NSSI. In addition, normative dissociation--but not clinical or severely clinical dissociation--was found to be significantly associated with NSSI in this sample. Considering this finding in the context of the existing literature, we propose a quartile risk model of dissociation and NSSI as a new approach to the influences of levels of dissociation on NSSI risk.
Subject(s)
Dissociative Disorders/psychology , Self-Injurious Behavior/psychology , Adolescent , Adult , Dissociative Disorders/epidemiology , Female , Humans , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Risk Factors , Self-Injurious Behavior/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) has been proposed as an effective treatment for eating disorders (EDs). We conducted a systematic literature review to locate refereed journal articles testing DBT for the treatment of EDs. We identified 13 studies empirically evaluating treatment efficacy across various settings. Findings, based on mostly uncontrolled trials, indicate that DBT treatments appear effective in addressing ED behaviors and other forms of psychopathology in ED samples. The expectation that improvements in emotion regulation capabilities drive reductions in ED pathology was not fully supported. Further research is necessary to confirm the efficacy of modified DBT treatments for EDs.