Parents Finding Out: Young people's experiences of parents' responses to self-harm

This study explores young people's experiences of their parents' responses to
self-harm. Particular focus is given to the process of parents' discovering and
responding to self-harm. The impact of parents' responses upon adolescents
is also considered.
Eight participants, aged between 14 and 18, took part in a semi-structured
interview about parents' responses to self-harm. Participants reported a
history of self-harm, with at least one episode taking place within the last year.
Methods of self-harm described by the young people included burning,
bruising and overdosing. All participants reported a history of self-cutting.
Participants were recruited through inpatient and outpatient mental health
services.
Data was analysed using a grounded theory approach. Analysis led to the
conceptualisation of a model illustrating parents' discovery of and responses
to self-harm. Particularly, the model included young people's descriptions of
hiding self-harm from parents in order to avoid being found out. Once parents
had discovered the self-harm, their responses were perceived to vary broadly.
Adolescents described a range of preferred responses and placed a particular
emphasis upon those, which did not involve negative emotions. Such
responses appeared to increase the likelihood that young people would
discuss self-harm with parents in the future. Adolescents also described how
parents contacted mental health services on their behalf. This led to positive and negative experiences, which also influenced the extent of information
sharing by young people in the future.
The conceptualised model is considered with regard to the literature. A
number of professional implications and recommendations for future research
are highlighted. Professional recommendations include the need to explore
young people's idiosyncratic needs when supporting them with self-harm.

This thesis supplied via ROAR to UEL-registered users is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, and duplication of any part of the material is not permitted, except for your personal use for the purposes of non-commercial research and private study in electronic or print form. You must obtain permission from the copyright-holder for any other use. Electronic or print copies may not be offered, for sale or otherwise, to anyone. No quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement.