Self Injury Trauma (SIT) Scale

The SIT scale^[1] aims to categorize and measure the harm caused by an act of Self Injurious Behaviour. Assessors note the location of the SIB, the number of occurrences, the severity of the wounds, and the type of injuries (such as redness, bruising, skin breakage/lacerations, fractures, contusions, etc). Once the locations of individual SIB injuries are evaluated, an overall score is calculated. This score takes into account the number of SIB topographies (rated on a 5-point scale), the severity index (rated on a 5-point scale), and the overall risk estimate (rated on a 3-point scale). Results are combined to produce a score that indicates the severity. Although the SIT scale has strong face validity and shows potential in tracking intervention outcomes, its developers advise against relying solely on it for assessment and progress monitoring. There are a few downsides to the SIT scale. One is that it can be quite time-consuming to use. Additionally, it may not be suitable for assessing other destructive behaviors, such as aggression, that can occur alongside self-injurious behavior. Lastly, there are doubts about how useful the risk estimates generated by the scale are compared to the results of a less time-consuming or formal evaluation.

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