Supporting the supporters : how adolescent females respond to a friend who engages in non-suicidal self-injury : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
Year: 2016
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a maladaptive coping strategy employed by young people in \nresponse to feelings of distress. Adolescents are more likely to communicate engagement in NSSI \nwith their peers whom they turn to for support. How young people respond to peers engaging in \nself-harm, how this impacts the friendship, and how these supporters cope with assuming and \nadministering this role are largely unknown. A qualitative methodology, Interpretative \nPhenomenological Analysis (IPA), was chosen for this project in order to explore and understand the \nsense-making experiences of participants. Five female, Year 10 students from a single school in the \nHawke’s Bay were interviewed. Five themes were identified including NSSI and relationships, \nburden and responsibility, the helping response, costs of caring, and supporter needs. \nThe results highlighted the complex nature of this helping relationship and emphasised the need for \nincreased and multifaceted forms of support to be provided to those responding to a peer engaging \nin self-harm. Young people indicated several factors that would be helpful to assist support \nproviders to continue to help peers in distress including access to information about effective ways \nto support a friend engaging in NSSI and to be providing this support within a network that functions \nto resource and support the supporters. High schools are challenged to engage young people in the \ndesign and structure of student health and well-being services in their school, and the \nimplementation of a student-led mentoring programme that caters for the support needs of the \nsupporter is advocated.
Author: Kelly Alana Fisher
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2609425406