Intropunitiveness and parasuicide: prediction of interview response

A recently proposed relationship between intropunitiveness and depressive states was examined in interview intervention with parasuicidal in-patients. To test the prediction that highly intropunitive parasuicidal individuals would be most responsive to cognitive intervention, a sample of 48 parasuicidal in-patients were administered a battery of individual difference measures, including the Hostility Questionnaire. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three interview procedures, namely a cognitive interview, an affective interview or a waiting period (control). Highly intropunitive individuals in the cognitive interview group showed the most improvements on a self-report depressive symptom change measure. In addition to supporting theoretical models of depressive state changes, the study has important clinical implications because of the need to identify parasuicidal individuals who are most likely to benefit from brief interventions.