دورية أكاديمية

‘Am I really the priority here?’: help-seeking experiences of university students who self-harmed

التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
العنوان: ‘Am I really the priority here?’: help-seeking experiences of university students who self-harmed
المؤلفون: Tickell, Alice, Fonagy, Peter, Hajdú, Katalin, Obradović, Sandra, Pilling, Stephen
المصدر: BJPsych Open , 10 (2) , Article e40. (2024)
بيانات النشر: Royal College of Psychiatrists
سنة النشر: 2024
المجموعة: University College London: UCL Discovery
مصطلحات موضوعية: Self-harm, qualitative research, university students, helpseeking, service use
الوصف: Background: Self-harm is a significant problem in university students because of its association with emotional distress, physical harm, broader mental health issues and potential suicidality. Research suggests that fewer than half of students who have self-harmed seek professional help when at university. // Aims: This study aimed to explore the help-seeking journeys of university students who had engaged in self-harm, to identify perceived facilitators and barriers to securing both formal and informal support. // Method: Participants comprised 12 students who had self-harmed during their university tenure. Engaging in two semi-structured interviews over the academic year, they shared insights into their help-seeking behaviours and proposed enhancements to local services. Data underwent reflexive thematic analysis within a critical realist framework. // Results: The analysis identified four themes: ‘The initial university phase poses the greatest challenge’, ‘Perceived criteria for “valid” mental health problems’, ‘Evading external judgements, concerns and consequences’ and ‘The pivotal role of treatment options and flexibility in recovery’. // Conclusions: Students felt isolated and misunderstood, which amplified self-harming tendencies and diminished inclinations for help-seeking. A prevalent belief was that for self-harm to be deemed ‘valid’, it must manifest with a certain severity; however, concurrent fears existed around the ramifications of perceived excessive severity. Participants expressed a desire for streamlined pathways to mental health resources, encompassing both university and external mental health services. Insights from this study could guide future research and inform current service paradigms within academic and healthcare systems.
نوع الوثيقة: article in journal/newspaper
وصف الملف: text
اللغة: English
العلاقة: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10187165/1/Fonagy_am-i-really-the-priority-here-help-seeking-experiences-of-university-students-who-self-harmed.pdfTest; https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10187165Test/
الإتاحة: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10187165/1/Fonagy_am-i-really-the-priority-here-help-seeking-experiences-of-university-students-who-self-harmed.pdfTest
https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10187165Test/
حقوق: open
رقم الانضمام: edsbas.1FD42E48
قاعدة البيانات: BASE