The Perspectives of Health Care Providers on Adolescent Non-Suicidal Self-Injury

This study examined the perspectives and strategies of care providers when managing adolescent non-suicidal self-injury in residential and acute inpatient units throughout the Midwest region. NSSI frequency, intensity, duration, onset, method, location, and interventions were examined, among other topics including care provider attitudes, service delivery type, ways to reduce NSSI behaviors, and whether any NSSI-specific interventions are used in psychiatric settings.

Surveys were disseminated to nurses, practitioners, and clinicians at psychiatric hospitals in the Midwest region. All questions used free text responses and were developed from the Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Assessment Tool (NSSI-AT), the SOARS Model, and Clinician-Rated Severity of Non-suicidal Self-Injury Scale.

The findings underscored the high incidence of NSSI among adolescent patients, highlighting the urgent need for creating hospital trainings and best practices for NSSI, among other topics such as routine physical check-ins and enhanced NSSI-specific interventions.

There is a concerning gap in the number of NSSI-specific interventions used by care providers in psychiatric inpatient facilities in the Midwest region of the United States. The need for targeted treatment, training, and programming for adolescent NSSI is essential.