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Brooding, Reflection, and Distraction: Relation to Non-Suicidal Self-Injury versus Suicide Attempts
Summary
Cognitive styles like brooding and reflection differentially predict history of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicide attempts (SA). These findings may help identify individuals at risk for self-harm behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Cognitive response styles, including brooding, reflection, and distraction, are implicated in psychopathology.
- Understanding these styles' differential roles in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicide attempts (SA) is crucial for risk assessment.
- Cognitive inflexibility has been explored as a potential transdiagnostic vulnerability factor.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between cognitive response styles (brooding, reflection, distraction) and cognitive inflexibility.
- To investigate how these cognitive factors differentially predict a history of NSSI only, SA only, or both NSSI and SA.
- To determine if cognitive inflexibility is associated with self-harm history.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 352 college students completed self-report measures of rumination, distraction, and self-harm history.
- Participants underwent a diagnostic interview to ascertain NSSI and SA history.
- Cognitive flexibility was assessed using a computerized task.
Main Results:
- Brooding uniquely predicted a history of SA only.
- Reflection uniquely predicted a history of NSSI only and combined NSSI + SA.
- Distraction was associated with lower odds of NSSI only and NSSI + SA.
- Cognitive inflexibility was not significantly associated with self-harm history.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive response styles, particularly brooding and reflection, play distinct roles in predicting different types of self-harm.
- These cognitive vulnerabilities may serve as important markers for identifying individuals at risk for NSSI and SA.
- The findings suggest that cognitive styles, rather than cognitive inflexibility, may differentiate between NSSI and SA histories.
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