ABSTRACT
The existent literature on self-harm has been dominated by studies of the characteristics and correlates of self-injurious behaviour. Only a minority of studies have attempted to understand the psychological processes which lead individuals to self-harm. The experience sampling method (ESM) may be particularly suited to monitoring time-limited self-harm related cognitions and associated momentary triggers. This chapter provides a summary of how ESM can overcome the biases inherent within more traditional psychological investigations, and proposes ESM as a more ecologically valid means of accessing participants’ self-injurious thoughts, feelings and behaviours in real-time. The authors will discuss the different forms of self-harm and how these might present different challenges for ESM assessment. They will then present a practical description of how to adapt the ESM approach to be utilised safely and effectively with suicidal individuals. This will then be followed by a summary of emergent findings from a series of new research studies investigating momentary experiences of self-harm.
