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Managing deliberate self-harm in young people: An evaluation of a training program developed for school welfare staff using a longitudinal research design.

Authors :
Robinson, Jo
Gook, Sara
Hok Pan Yuen
McGorry, Patrick D.
Yung, Alison R.
Source :
BMC Psychiatry; 2008, Vol. 8, Special section p1-11, 11p, 7 Charts
Publication Year :
2008

Abstract

Background: Although deliberate self-harm is prevalent among young people, many who engage in deliberate self-harm receive sub-optimal care. Although schools are a well placed setting to support young people who engage in self-harm there are no specific training packages designed to assist school welfare staff to support these young people. The current study aimed to design, deliver and evaluate a training course specifically for school staff. Methods: The study employed a longitudinal design. Two hundred and thirteen people participated in the training and evaluation. A questionnaire was administered at baseline, immediately after the training and at 6-month follow-up in order to determine if the training led to improvements in confidence when working with young people who self-harm, perceived skill, knowledge of, and attitudes towards people who self harm. Results: Prior to the course, the majority of participants demonstrated relatively high levels of confidence, perceived skill and knowledge of self-harm and endorsed relatively positive attitudes towards people who engage in self-harm. Despite this, significant improvements were observed in terms of increased confidence, increased perceptions of skill along with increased knowledge of deliberate self-harm. These improvements were sustained over the follow-up period. Conclusion: The results demonstrated that the provision of specifically designed training can help school welfare staff to feel better equipped to support young people who are engaging in deliberate self-harm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1471244X
Volume :
8
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
BMC Psychiatry
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
35702834