Abstract
Background: Self-harm is highly prevalent among young people yet remains misunderstood and stigmatised in schools and among pupils. Schools are positioned to first detect self-harm but are ill-equipped to respond or support. Despite these concerns, studies exploring the management of self-harm in schools from staff perspectives are limited.
Methods: Therefore, the current study explored experiences of secondary school staff when addressing self-harm in schools through a Thematic Analysis of semi-structured focus groups.
Results: Analysis revealed an overarching theme—addressing self-harm in schools is a systemic issue that requires governmental, institutional, and interpersonal support. Two main themes and five subthemes were identified within this overarching theme.
Conclusions: Lack of standardised guidelines and stigmatisation around self-harm are key barriers that prevent staff from effectively addressing self-harm. Training is crucial for school staff to respond safely to self-harm and avoid fearful or avoidant responses, alongside increased access to clinically trained professionals. These findings are discussed in relation to school-based interventions targeted towards self-harm.
Methods: Therefore, the current study explored experiences of secondary school staff when addressing self-harm in schools through a Thematic Analysis of semi-structured focus groups.
Results: Analysis revealed an overarching theme—addressing self-harm in schools is a systemic issue that requires governmental, institutional, and interpersonal support. Two main themes and five subthemes were identified within this overarching theme.
Conclusions: Lack of standardised guidelines and stigmatisation around self-harm are key barriers that prevent staff from effectively addressing self-harm. Training is crucial for school staff to respond safely to self-harm and avoid fearful or avoidant responses, alongside increased access to clinically trained professionals. These findings are discussed in relation to school-based interventions targeted towards self-harm.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 1836 |
| Journal | BMC Public Health |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 19 May 2025 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 31 Dec 2025 |
Data Availability Statement
Data that supports the analysis of this study are available upon request. Data are available from University of Cardiff.Acknowledgements
Ethical approval was given to the original study by the Cardiff University’s School of Social Sciences Ethics Committee. This current study has been ethically approved by the University of Cardiff and University of Bath. For the purpose of open access, the author has applied a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission.Funding
The current analysis was unfunded. The original data collection was funded by GW4 (ref GW4-AF4-003). Dr Abigail Russell is funded by an Advanced Fellowship: This report is independent research supported by the National Institute for Health Research NIHR Advanced Fellowship\u2014Stage 2, Dr Abigail Russell, NIHR300591. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the National Institute for Health Research or the Department of Health and Social Care.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| National Institute for Health and Care Research | NIHR300591 |
Keywords
- Barriers
- Qualitative
- Schools
- Self-harm
- Support
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
