Neurobiological Mechanisms of Self-Harm in Adolescents with a History of Sexual Abuse

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) - the deliberate and direct destruction of body tissue without suicidal intent - has a higher prevalence in youth who have experienced childhood sexual abuse compared to adolescents with other forms of abuse or no abuse. NSSI has been shown to serve an important function of relief from acute negative affect, which will increase the likelihood of such relief behaviour to occur again. However, several critical areas of how relief is achieved and reinforced remain unexplored. The talk will review recent research about the impact of trauma on brain development and explore translational research avenues that may help to explain the link between NSSI and sexual abuse. Such information will be critical as clinical interventions for NSSI continue to be limited in effectiveness, in particular for youth with histories of abuse.