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Self-injurious behavior prevalence and relationships to environmental events
Monographs of the American Association on Mental Deficiency (1982)
|January 1, 1982
Summary
Self-injurious behavior (SIB) affects 14.1% of individuals surveyed. SIB characteristics correlate with personal factors and environment, offering insights into its presentation and management.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Developmental Disabilities
Background:
- Self-injurious behavior (SIB) is a significant concern in institutionalized populations.
- Understanding the prevalence and correlates of SIB is crucial for effective intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the overall prevalence of SIB in a large institutionalized sample.
- To analyze the relationships between SIB characteristics and various individual and environmental factors.
- To develop an SIB profile for specific subpopulations.
Main Methods:
- Survey of 2,858 individuals across three institutions.
- Data collection on SIB topography, frequency, intensity, and number of forms.
- Analysis of correlations with age, sex, diagnosis, intellectual disability severity, environmental circumstances, and personnel reactions.
- Direct observation of SIB in ward settings.
Main Results:
- Overall SIB prevalence was 14.1%.
- SIB characteristics were significantly related to age, sex, diagnosis, and intellectual disability severity.
- Environmental circumstances and personnel reactions also correlated with SIB patterns.
- An SIB profile was identified for aggressive/severely-profoundly retarded individuals.
- Direct observations revealed limited antecedent and subsequent events associated with SIB.
Conclusions:
- SIB is prevalent in institutional settings and its presentation is multifaceted.
- Individual and environmental factors play a role in shaping SIB.
- The identified SIB profile can inform targeted interventions for specific groups.
- Further research is needed to explore alternative explanatory hypotheses for SIB.