Examining momentary associations between behavioral approach system indices and nonsuicidal self-injury urges

Background: The current study aimed to examine the concurrent and prospective relationships between the three hypothesized components of behavioral approach system (BAS) sensitivity: drive, reflecting the motivation to pursue one's desired goals; reward responsiveness, reflecting sensitivity to reward or reinforcement; and funseeking, reflecting the motivation for pursuing novel rewards in a spontaneous manner, and NSSI urge severity. Methods: A sample of 64 undergraduates with a history of repetitive NSSI completed an ecological momentary assessment protocol. During this period of time, participants reported on the BAS-constructs of drive, reward responsiveness, and fun-seeking, as well as NSSI urge severity on a momentary basis at three random intervals each day for a period of ten-days. Results: Drive and reward responsiveness, but not fun-seeking, were concurrently positively associated with NSSI urge severity. However, no associations between BAS facets and prospective NSSI urges were found. Limitations: This study was limited by its use of single items to assess the BAS-constructs of drive, reward responsiveness, and fun-seeking. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that feeling strongly impacted by rewards and having a strong sense of drive toward goal attainment may represent cognitive risk states that are associated with increased within-person NSSI risk. However, their lack of prospective prediction may suggest that these cognitive states are associated only on a momentary basis with NSSI urges and may not confer risk.

Automated summary

This study found that drive and reward responsiveness were positively associated with NSSI urge severity, while fun-seeking was not. However, no associations were found between these BAS facets and prospective NSSI urges. Therefore, cognitive risk states based on BAS constructs may increase NSSI risk on a momentary basis.