Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-1-2017
School
Psychology
Abstract
Objective: Nonexperimental survey and field research support the notion that alcohol use may be associated with deliberate self-harm (DSH) across the spectrum of lethality, from nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) through suicide. Nonexperimental studies, however, provide limited information about potential causal relationships between alcohol consumption and DSH. Two previous experiments showed that a relatively high-dose of alcohol increases the likelihood of engaging in DSH in men, with DSH defined by the self-administration of a "painful" shock (the self-aggression paradigm [SAP]; Berman & Walley, 2003; McCloskey & Berman, 2003). In this study, we examined whether (a) lower doses of alcohol also elicit DSH, (b) this effect occurs for women as well as men, and (c) individual differences in past nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) moderate alcohol's effects on DSH. Method: Nonalcohol dependent men and women (N = 210) were assigned either to.00%,.05%,.075%, or.100% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) drink conditions and completed a self-rating scale of NSSI (the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory [DSHI]; Gratz, 2001). As in previous SAP studies, DSH was operationalized by shock setting behavior during a competitive reaction time (RT) game. Results: Overall, a greater proportion of participants in the.075% and.100% (but not.050%) alcohol conditions self-selected a "painful" shock to administer compared to participants in the placebo condition. NSSI predicted self-administration of painful shocks, but did not moderate the alcohol effect. Conclusions: Results provide experimental evidence to support the notion that interventions for self-harm should include processes to monitor and limit alcohol intake.
Publication Title
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
Volume
85
Issue
9
First Page
854
Last Page
861
Recommended Citation
Berman, M.,
Fanning, J.,
Guillot, C.,
Marsic, A.,
Bullock, J.,
Nadorff, M.,
McCloskey, M.
(2017). Effect of alcohol dose on deliberate self-harm in men and women. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 85(9), 854-861.
Available at: https://aquila.usm.edu/fac_pubs/19175
Comments
© American Psychological Association, 2017-09-01. This paper is not the copy of record and may not exactly replicate the authoritative document published in the APA journal. Please do not copy or cite without author's permission. The final article is available at: https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000222.