How do professionals and non-professionals respond to non-suicidal self-injury? Lived experiences of psychiatric outpatients in Singapore
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: For young people who engage in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), receiving negative responses to their NSSI can pose a barrier to future help-seeking. This qualitative study aimed to explore helpful and unhelpful ways in which professionals and non-professionals respond to NSSI, from the perspectives of individuals with lived experiences of NSSI. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 outpatients (6 males, 14 females) aged 17 to 29 years from a tertiary psychiatric hospital in Singapore, who had reported engaging in NSSI behavior in an earlier study. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes and subthemes in the data. RESULTS: Professionals' responses were organized into three main themes: 'prescribing solutions without understanding needs', 'disapproval or judgment', and 'helpful responses'. Non-professionals' responses were organized into four main themes: 'emotionally charged responses', 'avoidance and inaction', 'poor understanding of reasons for NSSI', and 'providing tangible support and acknowledging NSSI'. Participants also described how unhelpful responses negatively impacted their willingness to seek help. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide a better understanding of responses to NSSI that are considered helpful and unhelpful, and can be used to improve existing guidelines on responding to NSSI.
Source: BMC Psychology
Institution: Institute of Mental Health
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,790
OpenAlex ID: W4390589427