Understanding the Role of School in Students' Self-harming Behaviours: Developing system-level prevention and intervention
Lead Research Organisation:
Cardiff University
Department Name: Sch of Social Sciences
Abstract
Self-harm in children and young people is a major public health priority. However the role of schools in individual's self-harming journeys remains under-theorised and empirically under-explored. This PhD project will explore how self-harm is constructed and managed by schools, how they might mitigate or exacerbate students' self-harming behaviours, and how preventative approaches can accommodate the role of schools. The successful candidate will undertake a mixed-method study. This will comprise secondary analysis of the School Health Research Network (SHRN) dataset to explore school influences on self-harm management practices and policies. Four case-study schools will be identified from the network with contrasting approaches to self-harm. Qualitative research will be undertaken with these schools. This PhD project will provide direction for the development of novel, theoretically informed system-level approaches, which will form the basis of subsequent post-doctoral research.
Organisations
| Description | This information is about the first phase findings of this research project (year one), which is four years in total. The initial finding from the project's first phase grounded theory analytical process is a theoretical model of stigma, specifically in relation to staff and student perceptions about adolescent self-harm within the institutional context. This means that social-based behaviours in the secondary school setting centred on adolescent self-harm are structured by stigma. Unlike other stigma research, the theoretical stigma model in this project gives specific details of the stigma-informed behaviours in relation to adolescent self-harm, revealing adolescent self-harm as a powerful stigma marker, which levers differentiation and the resulting negative behaviours within the school context. The topic is excluded from the whole-school public environment, the consequence of which is that no whole-school preventative work is being undertaken. As prior research has demonstrated that currently UK schools do very little work to prevent or raise awareness of adolescent self-harm, the findings of this current study offer an explanation on the exclusion of adolescent self-harm from preventative work in secondary schools. A summary of the initial findings can be found in the following research paper: Parker, R. 2018. A small-scale study investigating staff and student perceptions of the barriers to a preventative approach for adolescent self-harm in secondary schools in Wales - a grounded theory model of stigma. Public Health, 159, pp. 8-13. Further community-based research that can explore the aforementioned points is recommended, using participatory methods, to find system-level information and shared solutions to the current challenges. This is what the second phase of this research study (years 2 to 4) is embarking upon to make a contribution to these issues. |
| Exploitation Route | Given the negative consequences from the stigma model in regards to adolescent self-harm, this study demonstrates that the exploration of the school-based contextual influences, including their risk and protective factors on self-harm, is warranted. |
| Sectors | Education,Healthcare |
| URL | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2018.03.016 |
| Description | My master's level work has been published in the journal of Public Health, and was also mentioned in the editorial of this journal to highlight some of the current barriers for support in secondary schools with adolescent self-harm in the context of whole school health promotion. My model of stigma in the school context from my master's work was also used in the "fighting stigma" session at the 23rd World Congress at the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions in Prague 2018 - as my model is detailed, it gives clear evidence of the stigma behaviours which up to this point were generic and difficult to address. This work will continue to be refined within my PhD work. The research access barriers are considerable in my PhD work, due to the stigma model, but have been successfully overturned through my intensive engagement work with secondary schools in Wales. This has meant even though there are no research findings at this stage of the PhD, the engagement methods I have used to access school premises and address the stigma model has been successful. Schools are using my research access (including the informed consent procedures) as a way of delivering information about self-harm to their 6th form pupils as a protective factor. My research safety protocols designed for the PhD specifically target the stigma model behaviours in schools, which means more schools have participated in this research study. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2019 |
| Sector | Education,Healthcare |
| Impact Types | Societal |
| Description | Organisation visit (Amber Project, Cardiff) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
| Results and Impact | Informed consent process for this research project, to give information and raise awareness of it. Delivered to three organizational members within a project that supports young people who self-harm. 10 young people were made aware of the project. Further links have been made since this initial meeting, to take part in the research project, which include young people with long term self-harm. This work means that important perspectives will be gathered from young people, with lived experience of the health topic. I will have the full numbers of research participants by July 2019. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
| Description | Presentation at the 23rd World Congress of the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions (Prague). |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | My abstract paper was accepted for presentation at the 23rd World Congress of the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions (Prague). I was also asked to chair the session on "Fighting Stigma", and was the expert in my field in this session. I delivered my presentation based on the stigma model I developed as part of my master's project, titled "Stigma, social exclusion and adolescent self-harm. Exposition of a stigma model and its impact on adolescent self-harm in UK schools". Over 4,500 professional practitioners and researchers attended the five-day congress. My abstract was published in the Congress programme handbook which all attendees had a copy of, and over 300 practitioners accessed my presentation. Over 50 individuals after the presentation downloaded a copy of my presentation from the congress site. I have had three requests from other European academic institutions for follow up work and contact. After my presentation at the congress, I also had a lot more activity on my researchgate site where all my work is stored, with over 200 people accessing my work. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://www.iacapap2018.org/committees.htm |
| Description | Research presentation at charity AGM |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I delivered information about the current research project, within the context of adolescent self-harm preventative intervention support. 50 people attended the event, ranging from charity members, professional practitioners, local government members and service users. An outcome of this is that I was asked to become a trustee of the charity. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | School site visit (Penglais, Aberystwyth) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Informed consent process for this research project, to give information and raise awareness of it. Delivered to 7 staff members, and all 6th form pupils (150 pupils) via the school assembly and group teaching workshops. School staff, pupils and linked health professionals became interested in this project, and supported it by taking part. This work raised this issue of the health topic of adolescent self-harm in schools, and what is acceptable and feasible in finding shared community solutions to this issue. A blog also was created to generate targeted information for the school, which staff and pupils accessed in the group teaching workshops the researcher delivered to facilitate the informed consent process. Staff and pupils wanted to contribute to the research, and it raised awareness of the importance of taking part in community-based public health research like this project. It facilitated public engagement with research. I will have specific number about how many staff and pupils actually took part in the research by July 2019. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
| URL | https://talkresearchblog.wordpress.com/ |
| Description | School site visits (Builth Wells site, Calon Cymru, Powys) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Informed consent process for this research project, to give information and raise awareness of it. Delivered to 5 staff members, and 6th form pupils (30 pupils) via small group teaching workshops. School staff, pupils and linked health professionals became interested in this project, and supported it by taking part. This work raised this issue of the health topic of adolescent self-harm in schools, and what is acceptable and feasible in finding shared community solutions to this issue. A blog was used to generate targeted information for the school, which staff and pupils accessed in the group teaching workshops the researcher delivered to facilitate the informed consent process. Staff and pupils wanted to contribute to the research, and it raised awareness of the importance of taking part in community-based public health research like this project. It facilitated public engagement with research. I will have specific number about how many staff and pupils actually took part in the research by July 2019. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
| Description | Third sector visit ( Cardiff) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
| Results and Impact | Two site visits took place (accessed 5 staff), including a research interview. All 5 of the research participants were from a third sector organization that delivers the Welsh Government support phone line to young people. Therefore professional networking was successfully achieved, and this organization supported the research project. All staff stated that being part of the research interview helped them to reflect on their work, and gave new insights to it. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Third sector visit (a 2nd site in Cardigan, school counselling service) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | A number of visits took place (accessed 5 staff, and young people), including research interviews. All 5 of the research participants were from a third sector organization that delivers a county-wide school counselling service and also a drop in service yo young people. Therefore professional networking was successfully achieved, and this organization supported the research project. All staff stated that being part of the research interview helped them to reflect on their work, and gave new insights to it. It also raised knowledge baout the importance of being part of community-based research, so facilited engagement with both research, and the research topic. I will have the full numbers of young people who took part in the research interviews by July 2019. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
| Description | third sector visit (Cardigan - communty arts centre delivering a community project) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Three visits took place (accessed 3 staff), including a research interview with 1 staff member. Professional networking was successfully achieved, and this organization supported the research project. Recent request has been made from this organization for the researcher to collaborate with them in a future community-based project to support local young people in the community who self-harm. This will take place in Feb 2019. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |