Family experiences of adolescent self-harm
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An exploration of family experiences of adolescent self-harm within the context of having received a systemic family therapy intervention
IRAS ID
278441
Contact name
Lucy Tattersdill
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Hull
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 25 days
Research summary
Despite the prevalence of self-harm amongst adolescents (Evans, Hawton, Rodham & Deeks, 2005) there is limited evidence that supports the effectiveness of specific interventions for young people who self-harm (Cottrell et al., 2018). Research has indicated that familial factors can operate as risk and protective factors for the development of self-harm, and a family-centred approach has been found to be a shared component in efficacious self-harm interventions (Glenn, Esposito, Porter, & Robinson, 2019). The evidence base for systemic family therapy is limited and lacks ecological validity, but systemic interventions are delivered via CAMHS for adolescents who self-harm. The current study proposes to explore family’s experiences, meanings and narratives that are associated with self-harm within the context of the family having received a systemic intervention for adolescent self-harm. This research would be relevant to current clinical practice and could lead to an improved understanding of adolescent self-harm, which could impact the systemic interventions that are delivered to treat adolescent self-harm.
Families who have completed a systemic intervention for adolescent self-harm within the last 12 months will be invited to take part in the research. Participants will complete joint interviews. This may or may not include the adolescent who self-harmed. Joint interviews will use a non-directive approach and will be analysed using narrative analysis. It is estimated that interviews will last between 25-90 minutes.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/YH/0318
Date of REC Opinion
22 Dec 2020
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion