Recruiting

Self-Injury Treatment

Sponsor:

VA Office of Research and Development

Code:

NCT05969080

Conditions

Self-Injurious Behavior

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Treatment for Self-Injurious Behaviors

Treatment As Usual

Study Details

Brief summary:

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) refers to the intentional destruction of one's own body tissue without suicidal intent and for purposes that are not socially sanctioned. While NSSI has been understudied among Veterans, the lifetime prevalence rate of NSSI in Veterans is approximately three times higher than the general population. Moreover, NSSI is associated with increased risk for violence, psychiatric distress, and marked impairment in psychosocial functioning. Even though NSSI is distinct from suicidal behaviors in several important ways, NSSI remains a strong predictor of a future suicide attempt. The primary goal of this project is to evaluate the treatment and acceptability of a brief intervention for NSSI that aims to reduce psychosocial impairment and NSSI behaviors in Veterans.

Conditions

Self-Injurious Behavior

Study ID

NCT05969080

Start date

Oct 15, 2024

Status verified date

Feb, 2026

Completion date

Mar 31, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jan 1, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 18 years of age or older
  • Past service in the United States military
  • Nonsuicidal self-injury engagement on 2 occasions in past 30 days
  • Fluent in English
  • Able to provide voluntary informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Lifetime history of psychosis, mania, or hypomania
  • Imminent risk for suicide/homicide warranting immediate intervention
  • Unable/unwilling to complete study procedures

Study Design

Enrollment

40 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: T-SIB

Participants randomized to the Treatment for Self-Injurious Behaviors (T-SIB) condition will receive nine sessions of T-SIB.

active comparator: Treatment As Usual

Participants randomized to the TAU condition will be provided with referrals to both Durham VA and local community mental health resources and offered a consult for Durham VA mental health services.

Interventions

Treatment for Self-Injurious Behaviors

Treatment for Self-Injurious Behaviors (T-SIB) incorporates evidence-based approaches to replace NSSI with behaviors that improve psychosocial functioning.

Treatment As Usual

Participants randomized to the TAU condition will be provided with referrals to both Durham VA and local community mental health resources and offered a consult for Durham VA mental health services.

Primary outcome measure

  • Feasibility as measured by number of participants enrolled [ Time Frame: 2 years after study enrollment begins ]
  • Feasibility as measured rate of retention [ Time Frame: End of treatment, about nine weeks after beginning the study ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Tate F Halverson, PhD

(919) 286-0411Tate.Halverson@va.gov

Angela C Kirby, MS

(919) 286-0411angela.kirby@va.gov

Locations

Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC

Recruiting

Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27705-3875

Contacts

Tate F Halverson, PhD

919-286-0411Tate.Halverson@va.gov

Angela C Kirby, MS

(919) 286-0411angela.kirby@va.gov

Principal Investigator:

Tate F Halverson, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

VA Office of Research and Development

Last update posted

Feb 19, 2026

Last verified

Feb, 2026

Keywords

  • Self-Injurious Behavior
  • Veterans

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-09. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by VA Office of Research and Development on 2026-02-19.