# Digital Mental Health Intervention for Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Young Adults

> **NIH NIH R34** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $280,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is estimated to affect 13% of young adults and is associated with
considerable burden, including significant role impairment in daily life, increased risk of developing a mental
health disorder, hospitalization, permanent scarring. Repeated NSSI is also associated with high lifetime risk of
suicide. Timely interventions aimed at NSSI reduction could have a significant impact on improving mental
health and suicide prevention. However, around 50% of young adults never disclose their NSSI to anyone, and
far fewer ever seek professional help. Despite these low rates of disclosure and engagement with formal
mental healthcare, young people with NSSI report interest in, and receptivity to, digital mental health
interventions (DMHIs). Research has shown the effectiveness of DMHIs when applied to treat common mental
health conditions, such as depression and anxiety. Given NSSI’s prevalence, the potential for the behavior to
result in severe and lethal outcomes, and young adults’ openness to DMHIs, an effective and usable DMHI for
NSSI could provide a unique, accessible, and scalable treatment option. We aim to design, develop, and
conduct a feasibility trial for a low-intensity DMHI for young adults with repeated NSSI, which can meet the
need to provide services to individuals unlikely to engage in formal treatment.
 Two key challenges for DMHIs are maintaining participant engagement and supporting skill implementation
in critical moments of distress. Our DMHI will address challenges with engagement through the use of a highly
interactive conversational agent and by evaluating the added benefit of a coach. Our DMHI will also tailor
content and interactions to the user’s current state, by using ecological momentary assessment to assess
NSSI risk and initiate relevant in-the-moment interventions to support users in implementing new coping
strategies.
 The primary goals of the project are to: (1) design and develop a DMHI for young adults with repeated
NSSI, in close collaboration with potential users from this population; (2) examine the feasibility of conducting a
3-arm randomized control trial of the self-guided DMHI treatment and the DMHI treatment with low-intensity
coaching, compared to a wait-list control, with frequency of NSSI behaviors and urges as the primary
outcomes, and suicidal ideation and depression, anxiety, and borderline personality disorder symptom severity
as secondary outcomes; and (3) explore the mediational effects of psychological targets (emotional, cognitive,
and behavioral regulation; self-efficacy to resist NSSI) and engagement targets (app use and subjective
engagement) on NSSI frequency and urges. This program of research aims to produce a scalable DMHI for
NSSI, based on validated psychological strategies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10353714
- **Project number:** 1R34MH128410-01
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** DAVID CURTIS MOHR
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $280,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-03-14 → 2024-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10353714

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10353714, Digital Mental Health Intervention for Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Young Adults (1R34MH128410-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10353714. Licensed CC0.

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