Fovel J T, Lash P S, Barron D A, Roberts M S
Department of Psychology, Walter E. Fernald State School, Belmont, MA 02178-9108.
Res Dev Disabil. 1989;10(4):377-82. doi: 10.1016/0891-4222(89)90038-3.
Psychologists of a state school for mentally retarded persons were surveyed to assess the prevalence of self-restraint, self-injurious behavior (SIB), and other maladaptive behaviors for clients in their facility. Results indicated that almost all clients reliably identified as engaging in self-restraint also engaged in self-injurious behavior while other maladaptive behaviors for self-restraining clients occurred much less frequently. The occurrence of SIB in the school's population was substantially lower than in the self-restraining population. Results are discussed in terms of future research investigating a functional relationship between self-restraint and SIB. Clinical implications for the use of self-restraint as an intervention for SIB also are discussed.
