Seeking Secrecy

A Qualitative Study of Younger Adolescents’ Accounts of Self-harm

Bibliographic Data

ID12476867
AuthorsAmy Chandler (0000-0002-9861-9295, University of Edinburgh, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume26
Issue4
Pages313-331
Publication date2017-09-06
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueYoung (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1103-3088 • E-ISSN: 1741-3222
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1103308817717367
OpenAlexW2751215897
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited48

Young people who self-harm face challenges in seeking help, and there is a lack of qualitative research with under 16s despite rates of self-harm being high and help-seeking low. Data were collected from 122 young people aged 13–26 years, 108 of whom were aged 13–16 years, through multiple methods. This included six focus group discussions with 33 young people who had limited experience of self-harm; in-depth interviews with five people who had self-harmed and a qualitative online survey completed by 88 young people who had self-harmed. The analysis was thematic. Participants articulated views which could inhibit help-seeking: Young people provided strong negative judgements about ‘attention-seeking’ as a motive for self-harm, while ‘private’ self-harm was valorized. Talking to others about self-harm was identified as beneficial, but it was unclear how possible this would be, if self-harm must also be kept ‘secret’. Findings suggest that framing self-harm as private and secretive may be counterproductive

Focus group · Framing (construction · Harm · Political science · Qualitative research · Secrecy · Sociology · Thematic analysis · Insect and Pesticide Research · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Psychology · Social Psychology · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies

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