GPs role identifying young people who self-harm: a mixed methods study.

Area of Science:

• General Practice
• Adolescent Health
• Mental Health Care

Background:

• Self-harm is prevalent in young people, with increasing incidence in younger age groups.
• Many young individuals who self-harm interact with General Practitioners (GPs) but often do not receive specialist care.
• GPs face challenges discussing self-harm sensitively within limited consultation times.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate GPs' abilities, motivations, and opportunities for discussing self-harm with young patients.
• To identify barriers and facilitators for proactive self-harm discussions in primary care settings.

Main Methods:

• An exploratory mixed-methods study combining an online survey and semi-structured interviews with GPs in South West England.
• Quantitative data from 28 GPs via survey and qualitative data from 10 GPs via interviews were analyzed.
• Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were employed, synthesizing findings to understand GPs' perspectives on youth self-harm.

Main Results:

• Some experienced GPs may underestimate self-harm prevalence, especially in younger adolescents (11-14 years).
• GPs recognize their supportive role for young people who self-harm, despite consultation challenges.
• GPs expressed a strong desire for training and practical resources on discussing self-harm with youth.

Conclusions:

• Primary care staff require enhanced education and practical training for discussing self-harm.
• Improved training can empower frontline staff to better support young people presenting with self-harm.