Although parasuicidal behavior in adolescence is poorly understood,
evidence suggests that it may be a developmental precursor of borderline
personality disorder (BPD). Current theories of both parasuicide and BPD
suggest that emotion dysregulation is the primary precipitant of
self-injury, which serves to dampen overwhelmingly negative affect. To
date, however, no studies have assessed endophenotypic markers of
emotional responding among parasuicidal adolescents. In the present study,
we compare parasuicidal adolescent girls (n = 23) with
age-matched controls (n = 23) on both psychological and
physiological measures of emotion regulation and psychopathology.
Adolescents, parents, and teachers completed questionnaires assessing
internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, substance use, trait
affectivity, and histories of parasuicide. Psychophysiological measures
including electrodermal responding (EDR), respiratory sinus arrhythmia,
and cardiac pre-ejection period (PEP) were collected at baseline, during
negative mood induction, and during recovery. Compared with controls,
parasuicidal adolescents exhibited reduced respiratory sinus arrhythmia
(RSA) at baseline, greater RSA reactivity during negative mood induction,
and attenuated peripheral serotonin levels. No between-group differences
on measures of PEP or EDR were found. These results lend further support
to theories of emotion dysregulation and impulsivity in parasuicidal
teenage girls.This work was supported by
grants from the Seattle Children's Hospital and Regional Medical
Center, the Pediatric Clinical Research Center at Seattle Children's
Hospital (M01-RR 00037), and the National Foundation for Suicide
Prevention to Cindy J. Smith, and by a grant from the National Institute
of Mental Health to Theodore P. Beauchaine (R01 MH63699). We express
thanks to Trevor Aerts, Anna Amen, Tyson Bailey, Jordan Campbell, Breyen
Engelhardt, Ashleigh Freize, Jennifer Gross, Barbara Kleine, Dana
Kovalchick, Jenna Lee, Eileen Magill, Elise Mallman, Emily Miller, Andrea
Moore, Seamus Morrone, Shelby Soike, and Aubriana Teeley.
