Non‐Suicidal Self‐Injury as a Low‐Effort Strategy for Avoiding Negative Affect

BACKGROUND: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is primarily performed for negative reinforcement, which may be accomplished by facilitating avoidance of negative affect. This study aimed to identify whether an aversion to cognitive effort in the form of effort discounting underlies NSSI and other avoidant emotion regulation strategies. METHODS: Adults (N = 149), 52% with a history of NSSI, completed a behavioral measure of effort discounting, the preference to expend less effort despite attaining less relief from an aversive experience. We used confirmatory factor analysis to identify dimensions of avoidant and engagement-oriented affect regulation strategies, and we extracted factor scores from these dimensions. Participants self-reported their past engagement in NSSI, perception of the effort required by non-NSSI affect regulation strategies, and past use of such strategies. RESULTS: Effort discounting was not significantly associated with avoidant affect regulation strategy use but was modestly associated with lower engagement-oriented coping. Avoidant affect regulation strategy use was not positively associated with NSSI frequency, and this association did not vary based on whether individuals reported engaging in NSSI for affect regulation. In contrast, endorsement of NSSI for negative reinforcement was strongly associated with greater NSSI frequency. Among participants with a history of NSSI, greater NSSI frequency was associated with perceiving non-NSSI affect regulation strategies as more effortful. CONCLUSIONS: Rather than reflecting a general tendency toward avoidant coping, more frequent NSSI appears to be linked to its negative reinforcement value and to perceptions that alternative emotion regulation strategies require greater effort.