STAR-EMA: Who does stop?

Using daily mechanisms to predict reduction in nonsuicidal self-injury

The project at a glance

Start date:

01 Nov 2017
Duration in months:

60
Funding:

Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany
Principal Investigator(s):

Philip SANTANGELO

Ulrich Ebner-Priemer (external)

About

This multi-center study in cooperation with the universities of Heidelberg, Landau/Koblenz, Mannheim, Neuruppin, Rostock, and Ulm combines various research methods such as electronic diaries, laboratory tasks, neuro-imaging, and online therapy. We contribute with an e-diary assessment in the daily lives of adolescents and young adults engaging in non-suicidal self-injuries (NSSI) and healthy controls. This large-scale e-diary study (intended sample size of 300 patients and 150 healthy controls) aims at examining the temporal mechanisms involved in NSSI by using individualized high sampling-frequency e-diary assessments as well as psychophysiological assessments (cortisol, sleep, and activity) over seven days. We thereby tailor the e-diary assessments to each participant’s individual school hours such that no inquiries occur during classes. Our primary focus is to investigate the intraindividual states leading up to and following instances of NSSI, i.e. to address the underlying psychological and physiological mechanisms in order to derive potential therapeutic approaches.