Overview

Dr. Turner’s research focuses on understanding when and why people engage in behaviours that are physically harmful to themselves, including nonsuicidal self-injury, suicidal behaviors, disordered eating and alcohol/drug use. She focuses on using micro-longitudinal and longitudinal methods to observe how these behaviours change over minutes, hours, days, months and years. In addition, she uses epidemiological surveys to understand the population-level health impact of these behaviors across the lifespan.

Publications

From facts to feelings: Navigating the complexities of COVID-19 restrictions, perceptions, and mental well-being
Psychiatry Research
Madeline A. Gregory and Jennifer T.H. Reeves and Alexa Danyluk and Nicole K. Legg and Peter Phiri and Shanaya Rathod and Brianna J. Turner and Theone S.E. Paterson
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115802
04/2024

Different self-damaging behaviours, similar motives? Testing measurement invariance of motives for nonsuicidal self-injury, disordered eating and substance misuse
British Journal of Clinical Psychology
Christina L. Robillard and Gabriel J. Merrin and Nicole K. Legg and Megan E. Ames and Brianna J. Turner
DOI: 10.1111/bjc.12467
04/2024

Influence of perceived peer behavior on engagement in self-damaging behaviors during the transition to university
Journal of Research on Adolescence
Marlise K. Hofer and Christina L. Robillard and Nicole K. Legg and Brianna J. Turner
DOI: 10.1111/jora.12933
03/2024

Examining the components and stability of negative affect in disordered eating frequency
European Eating Disorders Review
Nicole K. Legg and Christina L. Robillard and Brianna J. Turner
DOI: 10.1002/erv.2990
09/2023

Psychological Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Canadian Healthcare Workers
Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine
Brianna J. Turner and Brooke E. Welch and Nicole K. Legg and Peter Phiri and Shanaya Rathod and Theone S. E. Paterson
DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000002913
09/2023

Prevalence, correlates, and drivers of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Canadians.
Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science / Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement
Nicole K. Legg and Andrew C. Switzer and Zachary Senay and Jennifer T. H. Reeves and Peter Phiri and Shanaya Rathod and Theone S. E. Paterson and Brianna J. Turner
DOI: 10.1037/cbs0000377
08/2023

Rapid psychiatric readmission in youth: A five-year retrospective Cohort Study
Psychiatry Research
Brianna J. Turner and Christina L. Robillard and Alayna Gretton and Ali Eslami
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115228
07/2023

Testing a diathesis-stress model during the transition to university: Associations between self-criticism, stress, and internalizing problems
Journal of American College Health
Christina L. Robillard and Brianna J. Turner and Carolyn E. Helps
DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2021.1947837
07/2023

Daily associations of interpersonal and emotional experiences following stressful events among young adults with and without nonsuicidal self-injury
Journal of Clinical Psychology
Christopher R. Berghoff and Katherine L. Dixon-Gordon and Alexander L. Chapman and Margaret M. Baer and Brianna J. Turner and Matthew T. Tull and Kim L. Gratz
DOI: 10.1002/jclp.23359
11/2022

Learning from experience: Within- and between-person associations of the consequences, frequency, and versatility of nonsuicidal self-injury
Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior
Christina L. Robillard and Alexander L. Chapman and Brianna J. Turner
DOI: 10.1111/sltb.12867
10/2022

Associations between physical activity, affect regulation difficulties, and mental health among Canadian adolescents at two different points of the COVID-19 pandemic
Psychology & Health
Megan E. Ames and Christina L. Robillard and Brianna J. Turner and Mauricio Garcia-Barrera and Jonathan Rush and Stephanie G. Craig
DOI: 10.1080/08870446.2022.2127718
10/2022

Self-injury motives: A person-centered examination
Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior
Katherine L. Dixon-Gordon and Brianna J. Turner and Lauren A. Haliczer and Kim L. Gratz and Matthew T. Tull and Alexander L. Chapman
DOI: 10.1111/sltb.12865
08/2022

Teaching dialectical thinking to enhance graduate trainees’ competence in outpatient psychotherapy for adolescents experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne
Christina L. Robillard and Katherine L. Dixon-Gordon and Brianna J. Turner
DOI: 10.1037/cap0000297
08/2022

Disparities in the prevalence, frequency and trajectories of substance use and disordered eating across first-year university in sexual minority undergraduates
Journal of American College Health
Julie Prud’homme and Marlise K. Hofer and Megan E. Ames and Brianna J. Turner
DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2022.2103373
08/2022

Prevalence and Correlates of Suicidal Ideation and Deliberate Self-harm in Canadian Adolescents During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic
The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry
Brianna J. Turner and Christina L. Robillard and Megan E. Ames and Stephanie G. Craig
DOI: 10.1177/07067437211036612
05/2022

Stop self-injuring, then what? Psychosocial risk associated with initiation and cessation of nonsuicidal self-injury from adolescence to early adulthood.
Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science
Brianna J. Turner and Carolyn E. Helps and Megan E. Ames
DOI: 10.1037/abn0000718
01/2022

Associations Between Physical Activity, Affect Regulation Difficulties, and Mental Health Among Canadian Adolescents at Two Different Points of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Megan Ames and Christina Lauren Robillard and Brianna Turner and Mauricio Garcia-Barrera and Jonathan Rush and Stephanie Craig
DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/y2b4k
01/2022

Roles of Family Stress, Maltreatment, and Affect Regulation Difficulties on Adolescent Mental Health During COVID-19
Stephanie Craig and Christina Lauren Robillard and Brianna Turner and Megan E. Ames
DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/zkms5
05/2021

Personality correlates of eating pathology severity and subtypes in The National Comorbidity Survey Adolescent Supplement
Journal of Clinical Psychology
Nicole K. Legg and Brianna J. Turner
DOI: 10.1002/jclp.23021
01/2021

Deliberate Self-Harm in Adolescents During COVID-19: The Roles of Pandemic-Related Stress, Emotion Regulation Difficulties, and Social Distancing
Christina Lauren Robillard and Brianna Turner and Megan Ames and Stephanie Craig
DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/fy7av
01/2021

Chronic medical conditions and suicidal behaviors in a nationally representative sample of American adolescents
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Anthony Dean-Boucher and Christina L. Robillard and Brianna J. Turner
DOI: 10.1007/s00127-019-01770-2
03/2020

Is the association of deliberate self-harm with emotional relief stable or dependent on emotional context?
Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
Kim L. Gratz and Matthew T. Tull and Katherine L. Dixon-Gordon and Brianna J. Turner and Alexander L. Chapman
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2018.03.003
09/2018

The role of interpersonal conflict and perceived social support in nonsuicidal self-injury in daily life.
Journal of Abnormal Psychology
Brianna J. Turner and Rebecca J. Cobb and Kim L. Gratz and Alexander L. Chapman
DOI: 10.1037/abn0000141
05/2016

Characterizing Interpersonal Difficulties Among Young Adults Who Engage in Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Using a Daily Diary
Behavior Therapy
Turner, B.J. and Wakefield, M.A. and Gratz, K.L. and Chapman, A.L.
DOI: 10.1016/j.beth.2016.07.001
2016

Occurrence and co-occurrence of nonsuicidal self-injury and disordered eating in a daily diary study: Which behavior, when?
Psychiatry Research
Turner, B.J. and Yiu, A. and Claes, L. and Muehlenkamp, J.J. and Chapman, A.L.
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2016.09.012
2016

Non-suicidal self-injury with and without borderline personality disorder: Differences in self-injury and diagnostic comorbidity
Psychiatry Research
Brianna J. Turner and Katherine L. Dixon-Gordon and Sara B. Austin and Marcus A. Rodriguez and M. Zachary Rosenthal and Alexander L. Chapman
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2015.07.058
11/2015

Temporal Associations Between Disordered Eating and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury: Examining Symptom Overlap Over 1 Year
Behavior Therapy
DOI: 10.1016/j.beth.2014.09.002
01/2015

Non-suicidal self-injury in patients with eating disorder: Associations with identity formation above and beyond anxiety and depression
Claes, L. and Luyckx, K. and Bijttebier, P. and Turner, B. and Ghandi, A. and Smets, J. and Norre, J. and Van Assche, L. and Verheyen, E. and Goris, Y. and Hoksbergen, I. and Schoevaerts, K.
DOI: 10.1002/erv.2341
2015

Personality profiles in Eating Disorders: Further evidence of the clinical utility of examining subtypes based on temperament
Psychiatry Research
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2014.04.036
09/2014

Prevalence and Correlates of Eating Disorder Symptoms in a Community Sample with Non-Suicidal Self-Injury
Yiu, A. and Turner, B.J. and Layden, B.K. and Chapman, A.L. and Zaitsoff, S.L.
DOI: 10.1007/s10862-014-9470-x
2014

Risk-related and protective correlates of nonsuicidal self-injury and co-occurring suicide attempts among incarcerated women
Chapman, A.L. and Gratz, K.L. and Turner, B.J.
DOI: 10.1111/sltb.12058
2014

Nonsuicidal Self-injury in Asian Versus Caucasian University Students: Who, How, and Why?
Turner, B.J. and Arya, S. and Chapman, A.L.
DOI: 10.1111/sltb.12113
2014

Why Stop Self-Injuring? Development of the Reasons to Stop Self-Injury Questionnaire
Turner, B.J. and Chapman, A.L. and Gratz, K.L.
DOI: 10.1177/0145445513508977
2014

Treating nonsuicidal self-injury: A systematic review of psychological and pharmacological interventions
Turner, B.J. and Austin, S.B. and Chapman, A.L.
2014

How Often, or How Many Ways: Clarifying the Relationship Between Non-Suicidal Self-Injury and Suicidality
Turner, B.J. and Layden, B.K. and Butler, S.M. and Chapman, A.L.
DOI: 10.1080/13811118.2013.802660
2013

Intrapersonal and interpersonal functions of non suicidal self-injury: Associations with emotional and social functioning
Turner, B.J. and Chapman, A.L. and Layden, B.K.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1943-278X.2011.00069.x
2012

Psychotherapy for personality disorders
Dixon-Gordon, K.L. and Turner, B.J. and Chapman, A.L.
DOI: 10.3109/09540261.2011.586992
2011

To Integrate or Not to Integrate Dialectical Behaviour Therapy with Other Therapy Approaches?
Chapman, A.L. and Turner, B.J. and Dixon-Gordon, K.L.
DOI: 10.1007/s10615-010-0283-4
2011

Research

Laboratory Studies
Understanding the contingencies that promote and deter risky behaviours has important implications for developing treatments to reduce these behaviours. Dr. Turner's research uses laboratory-based studies to closely examine the impact of these contingencies on emotional, physiological and behavioural responses. Her lab studies typically include a clinical interview, psychophysiological monitoring, and a variety of computer-based tasks.

Developmental Studies
Developmental studies are important for understanding dynamic trajectories of risky behaviours across the lifespan. For instance, we know that many risky behaviours begin in adolescence. While some youth develop long-standing problems related to these behaviours, many others are able to stop them with little formal intervention. Dr. Turner's current research uses epidemiological surveys and accelerated longitudinal designs to understand the onset, course, and offset of risky behaviours during key developmental transitions.

Micro-longitudinal Studies
In order to understand when and why different behaviours occur, we need to directly observe those behaviours in their natural contexts. Micro-longitudinal studies use a variety of technologies, including smartphone-based surveys, passive digital monitoringm and wearable biosensors, to understand behaviours as they unfold in real-time and in real life. Dr. Turner is currently involved in several projects examining the social, cognitive and emotional contexts that increase risk for suicidal and nonsuicidal self-injury during and following psychiatric treatment in both youth and adults.

Grants

University of Victoria Internal Research/Creative Project Grants (2017-2018) Using mobile technologies to understand intentional self-harm in youth Principal Investigator: $9,910.43

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Insight Development Grant (2017-2019) Testing a novel person-context model of risk-taking behaviours in first-year undergraduates Principal Investigator: $74,841.00

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Behavioral and Integrative Treatment Development (R01) (2016-2021) Preventing Addiction Related Suicide (PARS) – Controlled Trial of Secondary Suicide Prevention Consultant: $25,000 sub-award (Total grant value: $2,845,581)

Honours & Awards

University of Washington School of Medicine 2015 Director’s Prize: The Nancy Robinson, PhD, Award for Outstanding Overall Achievement by a Psychology Resident

Military Suicide Research Consortium 2015 Student Research Training Day Travel Award

International Society for the Study of Self-injury 2016 Conference Travel Award