Brief Description
The Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Questionnaire (NSSI) measures non-suicidal, self injurious behaviors. The NSSI Questionnaire is adapted from the Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Assessment Tool (NSSI-AT), which is designed to gather detailed information about the frequency, severity, functions, and characteristics of self-injury acts. Respondents rate how often they engage in the non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors listed (e.g., “How true are the following statements about WHY you hurt yourself?”) on a variety of scales, including from “Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree.”
Assessment Administration Type
Self-report
Number of questions
23
Age Range for Administration
This assessment has been validated for 18+, though may be appropriate for adolescents.
Recommended Frequency of Administration
No standardized frequency; recommend administering every other week or as clinically indicated.
Summary of Scoring and Interpretations
The NSSI contains 23 questions scored on a variety of scales (see table below). While Blueprint provides a total score, the total score is not used; instead, each question results in information helpful for determining treatment direction.
Blueprint Items | Scoring |
Item 1 | 1 - 1.15 (each item selected will have a integer value of 1 when rounded) |
Item 2 | 1 (“Yes) / 0 (“No) |
Item 3 - 21 | 1 (“Strongly Disagree”) - 4 (“Strongly Agree”) |
Item 22 | 1 (“Less than a week ago”) - 7 (“More than 2 years ago”) |
Item 23 | 1 (“Very likely”) - 5 (“Very unlikely”) |
Blueprint Adjustments
The original NSSI has 6 items; Blueprint’s NSSI has 23 questions because the original measure condenses Blueprint’s items 3-21 as all of item 3. The questions and scoring are unchanged from the original measure. The last question in the original measure (#6: “Who knows that you intentionally hurt yourself?”) is not part of Blueprint’s NSSI as the platform does not support free text responses at this time.
Clinical Considerations
Estimated completion time: 5-7 minutes
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) causes the sufferer to intentionally damage the tissues of their body, which may be severe and require intensive care medicine, without intending to be dead.
NSSI is most common among adolescents and young adults, and onset typically occurs around age 13 or 14.
Rates of NSSI are highest among psychiatric populations, particularly people who report characteristics associated with emotional distress, such as negative emotionality, depression, anxiety, and emotion dysregulation. It is especially common in people prone to self-directed negative emotions and self-criticism.
Two of the most common reasons people engage in NSSI is: (1) to alleviate overwhelming negative emotions; and (2) to use it as a form of self-punishment.
Citation
Relevant Articles + Further Resources
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