Young adults who self-harm: Barriers to and facilitators of seeking help

• Autor(a) principal: Florindo Salvador, Vanessa
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Gouveia, MC, Simões, Beatriz, Duarte, Eva
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.12/9665
• topic: Deliberate self-harm; Suicidal ideation; Social support; Healthcare workers

In Portugal, the lifetime prevalence of DSH in adolescents is situated between 16% and 35% (Duarte et al., 2020a; Gouveia-Pereira et al., 2016). Help-seeking is an important facilitator to stop these behaviors, although it is known that most individuals who engage in self-harm do not ask for help (Rowe et al., 2014). Study one (n = 222) examines the differences between two groups of young adults with a history of deliberate self-harm (participants who asked for help and participants who did not ask for help) regarding these behaviors’ severity and diversity, suicidal ideation, and family conflicts. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire which included an open-ended question focused on the reasons that may or may not contribute for seeking help. Significant differences between the two groups were found for all variables and are further discussed, followed by a qualitative analysis concerning the help-seeking motives. Study two (n = 110) used a self-report questionnaire to analyze the expectations of young adults with a history of deliberate self-harm concerning their social support network and the role of healthcare workers when they asked or thought about asking for help. These expectations included contents related with problem-solving, confidentiality, understanding and trust, support, and unburdening. Identifying facilitators and barriers to help-seeking can be a relevant step in planning and managing interventions within deliberate self-harm. Future directions and limitations are discussed.