PSYCHOLOGICAL, INTERPERSONAL, AND BEHAVIORAL-CORRELATES OF CHRONIC SELF-DESTRUCTIVENESS - AN EXPLORATORY-STUDY

In this study, we selected individuals high and low on a measure of ch ronic self-destructiveness-the tendency to perform behaviors that late r reduce positive consequences and increase the probability of experie ncing negative ones-and attempted to differentiate high and low scorer s based on a set of hypothesized antecedent and concurrent psychologic al, interpersonal, and behavioral correlates. Men and women were equal ly represented in high- and low-scoring groups. High scorers reported experiencing more interpersonal exploitation, greater depression, lowe r self-esteem, more externalizing attitudes, and less control in relat ionships than low scorers. High-scoring individuals also engaged in mo re frequent acts of acute self-destructiveness, including attempted su icide. A significant age covariate effect emerged: high-scoring men an d women were younger than low-scoring individuals. These findings unde rscore the importance of studying chronic self-destructiveness within a developmental framework and suggest that issues of safety and self-c are may be particularly germane to educational and clinical interventi ons aimed at young adults.