Care experiences – men who have self-harmed in prison / hospital.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding the care and treatment experiences of men in secure mental health services who have previously self-harmed in prison
IRAS ID
319036
Contact name
Hannah Smith
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 30 days
Research summary
Many people intentionally hurt themselves in some way. This is called 'self-harm'. This could be for different reasons, for example to cope with emotions or to communicate to other people. This could involve different methods of harm and level of risk or danger. Self-harm can be a big problem for people and for healthcare, so it is important to understand it more. It is also good to help people with their self-harm so they can improve their lives.
Most studies into self-harm so far have focussed on women and/or young people. Studies have asked people why people self-harm, or how they self-harm. Not much research has spoken to men, or asked about their experiences of getting care and treatment for self-harm. Self-harm is also very common in prison and is a big problem, but this is not researched enough too.
The aim of this study is to listen to men who have self-harmed in prison and who are now in hospital. They will be asked to share what it has been like for them to get care and treatment for their self-harm, and what made it easier or harder for them to get this support. The study also wants to find out what was offered or accepted, and what was helpful. Helpful could include stopping or reducing self-harm, harming in less risky ways, or becoming more accepting of reasons to self-harm. The study also wants to hear about the differences between prison and hospital, and ask what advice these men would give to service providers.
The research team hopes that this study will help people understand men’s self-harm more, and also inform prison and mental health services on how to provide helpful support.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/YH/0049
Date of REC Opinion
31 Mar 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion