A Narrative Study of Adolescent Boys who Self-Harm 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A Narrative Study of Adolescent Boys who Self-Harm
IRAS ID
177155
Contact name
Stacey Turrell
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 29 days
Research summary
The purpose of this study is to capture the experiences of adolescent males who self-harm. The aim is to explore these experiences in order to understand how the adolescents integrate and make sense of their experiences.
The narratives will be elicited through semi-structured interviews. The research begins with a Life Story Interview, which provides the space for the participant to tell their life story in a way that is relevant to them, with as little intrusion from the interviewer as possible. The focus of the interview will be the response to a broad, open question, designed to facilitate story telling. Permission will be sought from each participant to audio-record the interviews, so that the richness and integrity of the information is not lost, and can be transcribed verbatim for analysis. Once the participant has finished telling their story, they will be asked specific questions about their self-harming behaviour if these have not been addressed earlier.Following analysis of the information gathered from the Life Story Interview, the participant will be invited to a Reflective Interview approximately three weeks later. This provides several opportunities. Firstly, for the researcher to share the participant’s analysed story, seek further clarification where necessary and ensure that the representation of the Life Story, as interpreted by the researcher, is a valid and meaningful representation for the participant. This part if the research process allows the participant to be a co-author in the research. Secondly, it offers participants an opportunity to reflect on the experience of story telling, and explore the potential impact this has had on developing a deeper understanding of their intentions, motives and behaviours. It is anticipated that both the Life Story and Reflective Interviews will last no longer than 60 minutes each.
REC name
West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/WM/0163
Date of REC Opinion
19 May 2015
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion