Clarifying self-harm through evolutionary concept analysis

Child self-care autonomy in health (scale for parents): development, internal structure, and sex/age correlates

Autonomy in self-care practices in the health sphere is a critical characteristic for the survival of humans throughout the life span. Notably, however, the current literature lacks psychometrically sound instruments that measure this phenomenon among children without diagnosed chronic health conditions. The purpose of the present exploratory study was to develop, test, and provide data regarding the reliability and validity of the Child Self-Care Autonomy in Health (CSAH) scale. The piloted version of the CSAH yielded an 11-item instrument designed to reflect the parent's perspective in measuring the extent of autonomy in self-care actions related to health for a child, whether diagnosed with a chronic illness or not. Data were collected through an online survey of a non-random sample of Russian-speaking parents currently residing in Russia (N = 349). The analysis focused on scale structure via principal component analysis and age/sex associations. The proposed CSAH may be of interest to social workers, health professionals, and parents seeking to ascertain schoolers' autonomy in self-care practices in the health sphere and support building a stronger self-care mindset.

Men who self-harm-A scoping review of a complex phenomenon

BACKGROUND

To understand and care for men who self-harm, it is important that healthcare professionals have understanding of how and why men self-harm, men's experiences of self-harm and what can be done to hinder or prevent self-harm.

AIMS

The aim of this study was to synthesize the existing knowledge on men who self-harm, with a special emphasis on background, self-harming methods, experiences and reported therapeutic interventions and/or care approaches.

DESIGN

Scoping review of internationally published and grey literature, based on a methodological framework by Arksey and O'Malley.

DATA SOURCES

Systematic electronic database searches were conducted in CINAHL, MEDLINE (Ovid) and PsycINFO. From a total of 684 studies found, 24 studies met the inclusion criteria: full-text, published in English, peer-reviewed studies and grey literature including a focus on men who self-harm, men aged between 18 and 65 years, and published between 2010 and 2019.

RESULTS

Men's self-harm was understood as being related to mental disorders, a means of affect regulation, a loss of self-control, and a means of interpersonal communication. Self-harm can be a positive or negative experience, and there is a wide variety in the methods that men use to self-harm: sharp objects, injection, ingestion, without aids or riskful behaviour. Few studies reported on therapeutic interventions and/or care approaches for men who self-harm.

CONCLUSION

Men's self-harm should be understood as a complex, socially and culturally conditioned phenomenon and studied from a multitude of perspectives.

IMPACT

This scoping review concludes that self-harm among men should be understood as a complex, socially and culturally conditioned phenomenon. To empower men and support their recovery from self-harm, a person-centred approach should be incorporated into research on the subject and practice.

Experiences of Help From the Perspective of Finnish People Who Self-Harmed During Adolescence

Adolescent self-harm is a widespread phenomenon, and a significant problem worldwide. This study describes the experiences of help from the perspective of Finnish people who have suffered self-harm during adolescence. Data were collected from 27 participants as essays and interviews. Participants included both females and males with different backgrounds and treatment experiences. The data were analysed using inductive content analysis. Participants described having received help from other people in informal and formal ways, and they had both positive and negative experiences of help. The results show that several barriers exist for self-harming adolescents to access help, thus improvement in this area are necessary.

Suicidality: An Evolutionary Concept Analysis

Suicide is a preventable health problem. Multiple definitions and inconsistent use of the term suicidality can result in failure to properly recognize suicide risk and behavior and confuses suicide research. Clarification of the suicidality concept is needed to facilitate the care for individuals at risk for suicide. Using Rodgers' evolutionary concept analysis method, this analysis describes the breadth and scope of the suicidality concept. Findings indicate suicidality covers a spectrum of suicidal risk and levels of emotional suffering and intent. The analysis does not draw definite conclusions, but outlines a direction for further research.

Mental health nurses' experiences of caring for patients suffering from self-harm

The aim of this study was to explore mental health nurses' experiences of caring for inpatients who self-harm during an acute phase. The setting was four psychiatric clinics in Norway. Fifteen mental health nurses (MHNs) were recruited. Semistructured interviews comprised the method for data collection, with content analysis used for data analysis. Two main categories emerged: challenging and collaborative nurse-patient relationship and promoting well-being through nursing interventions. The underlying meaning of the main categories was interpreted and formulated as a latent theme: promoting person-centered care to patients suffering from self-harm. How MHNs promote care for self-harm patients can be described as a person-centered nursing process. MHNs, through the creation of a collaborative nurse-patient relationship, reflect upon nursing interventions and seek to understand each unique patient. The implication for clinical practice is that MHNs are in a position where they can promote patients' recovery processes, by offering patients alternative activities and by working in partnership with patients to promote their individual strengths and life knowledge. MHNs strive to help patients find new ways of living with their problems. The actual study highlighted that MHNs use different methods and strategies when promoting the well-being of self-harm patients.