Effectiveness of Atman psychological intervention in reducing self-harm in young people in India
A Mixed Method Case Series
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7148953 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Shilpa Aggarwal (0000-0002-8590-0846, Barwon Health), Matthew Berk (0000-0002-5554-6946, Barwon Health), Michael Berk, Nilesh Shah (0000-0001-7244-7053, Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital and Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College), Anokhi Shah (Public Health Foundation of India), Dimple Kondal (0000-0002-1417-9510, Centre for Chronic Disease Control), George Patton (0000-0001-5039-8326, The University of Melbourne), Vikram Patel (0000-0003-1066-8584, Harvard University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Pages | e41-e41 |
| Publication date | 2025-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Cambridge Prisms Global Mental Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2054-4251 • E-ISSN: 2054-4251 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/gmh.2025.26 |
| PMID | 40303964 |
| OpenAlex | W4408460723 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 36 |
There is a scarcity of psychological interventions for self-harm in young people, either developed or adapted for use in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). ATMAN i s a psychological intervention developed in India for youth with three key modules: problem-solving, emotion regulation and social network strengthening skills in addition to crisis management. ATMAN was delivered in 27 youth with a history of self-harm (14–24 years old) sequentially by a specialist and it a non-specialist counsellor. Out of 27, 18 youth who started the ATMAN intervention completed it, and 13 completed the 10-month follow-up. There was a significant reduction in post-intervention scores on Beck’s Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSI) (mean difference [confidence interval]: 14.1 [17.2, 10.9]) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) (9.6 [12.8, 6.4]) from the baseline scores, irrespective of who delivered the intervention (non-specialist vs. specialist). The difference remained significant at the 10-month follow-up (BSI: 17.0 [20.5, 13.6] and PHQ-9: 10.5 [14.5, 6.6]). Themes such as improved understanding of self-harm acting as a deterrent, using ATMAN strategies to deal with daily life distress, and the importance of addressing stigma in self-harm emerged during the qualitative interviews. Although requiring further evaluation, ATMAN shows promise as a scalable intervention that can be used in LMICs to reduce the burden of suicide in young people
Harm · Psychiatry · Psychology · Social Psychology · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
Self-harm and suicide in adolescents
The burden of mental disorders across the states of India
Problem Management Plus (PM+)
Theme development in qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis
Psychological Treatments for the World
Nonsuicidal Self-Injury as a Gateway to Suicide in Young Adults
Issues and Challenges in the Design of Culturally Adapted Evidence-Based Interventions
Mental Health Service Provision in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
The natural history of self-harm from adolescence to young adulthood
The PHQ-9
Patterns of non-suicidal self-injurious behaviours among college students in India
Youth self-harm in low- and middle-income countries
Adding Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research to Health Intervention Studies
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |