TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2018//
TI  - An interpretative phenomenological analysis of young people's self-harm in the context of interpersonal stressors and supports: parents, peers, and clinical services
JO  - Social science and medicine (1982)
A1  - Wadman, Ruth
A1  - Vostanis, Panos
A1  - Sayal, Kapil
A1  - Majumder, Pallab
A1  - Harroe, Caroline
A1  - Clarke, David
A1  - Armstrong, Marie
A1  - Townsend, Ellen
SP  - 120
EP  - 128
VL  - 212
IS  - 
N2  - RATIONALE: Self-harm in young people is of significant clinical concern. Multiple psychological, social and clinical factors contribute to self-harm, but it remains a poorly understood phenomenon with limited effective treatment options. <br><br>OBJECTIVE: To explore young women's experience of self-harm in the context of interpersonal stressors and supports. <br><br>METHOD: Fourteen adolescent females (13-18 years) who had self-harmed in the last six months completed semi-structured interviews about self-harm and supports. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was undertaken. <br><br>RESULTS: Themes identified were: 1) Arguments and worries about family breakdown; 2) Unhelpful parental response when self-harm discovered and impact on seeking support; 3) Ongoing parental support; 4) Long-term peer victimization/bullying as a backdrop to self-harm; 5) Mutual support and reactive support from friends (and instances of a lack of support); 6) Emotions shaped by others (shame, regret and feeling 'stupid to self-harm'); and 7) 'Empty promises' - feeling personally let down by clinical services. These themes were organised under two broad meta-themes (psychosocial stressors, psychosocial supports). Two additional interconnected meta-themes were identified: Difficulties talking about self-harm and distress; and Impact on help-seeking. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Parents and peers play a key role in both precipitating self-harm and in supporting young people who self-harm. The identified themes, and the apparent inter-relationships between them, illustrate the complexity of self-harm experienced in the context of interpersonal difficulties, supports, and emotions. These results have implications for improving support from both informal and clinical sources.<br><br>Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0277-9536
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.07.021
ID  - ref1
ER  -