Expressed Emotion, Self-Compassion, and adolescent self-harm
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Are caregiver and adolescent -rated expressed emotion associated with adolescent self-harm and risk-taking behaviours, and are these relationship moderated by adolescent self-compassion?
IRAS ID
317816
Contact name
Jessica Crooks
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Edinburgh
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 4 months, 29 days
Research summary
Summary of Research
Self-harm and risk-taking, whilst distinct concepts, are considered by some theorists to be interrelated behaviours. In adolescent populations where self-harm is common and risk-taking an expected development, it may be important for clinicians to understand why adolescents may engage in these behaviours. Expressed Emotion (EE), a measure of family environment, may be important in the development of self-harm, but has not been established for risk-taking. Evidence also indicates that self-compassion may be protective against poor psychological outcomes and poor coping mechanisms. The current project aims to explore whether caregiver and adolescent EE ratings can predict adolescent self-harm and risk-taking, and whether adolescent self-compassion may moderate these relationships. The research will add to the current literature as well as indicate possible areas for clinical intervention.Recruitment will be within NHS Dumfries and Galloway Child Psychology and CAMHS, and NHS Lothian CAMHS. Caregiver-adolescent pairs, where the adolescent is an active case would be eligible for participation. Both caregiver and adolescent would need to be able to provide informed consent, as well as having sufficient English. Adolescents will be aged between 12-18 years, and up to 85 years for the primary caregiver. The adolescent must reside with the chosen caregiver for at least 4 days per week. Diagnoses of Intellectual Disability, severe neurodevelopmental disorders, or active psychoses in either participant would make the pair ineligible.
Allocated clinicians will be asked to screen their caseloads and then approach eligible potential participants. If willing, the caregivers and adolescents will be directed to the online study. They will both complete consent forms and provide demographic information. The caregiver will complete their section first (one item), before the adolescent completes theirs (five items). Participants will then be provided with a debrief, contact details, and support information. We anticipate this process to take around 70 minutes in total.
Summary of Results
Expressed Emotion (EE) can be a proxy measurement of family emotional climate, and is measured by asking about how a caregiver communicates with their young person. Higher levels of critical, hostile, or emotionally over-involved communication creates a high EE environment, and has previously been linked to increased rates of adolescent self-harm and risk-taking. EE can be measured from the perspective of the caregiver (rating their own communication) and the adolescent (rating their caregiver's communication). The current study also looks at the differences in these perspective ratings (discrepant). Self-compassion (SC) has also been found to be protective against engagement in self-harm and risk-taking, and the current study hypothesised that SC may have a moderating effect on the relationship between EE and self-harm or risk-taking.No significant direct effects were found for any EE variable (adolescent-rated, caregiver-rated, or discrepant) in predicting adolescent self-harm or risk-taking. SC was found to be a significant negative predictor of adolescent self-harm and risk-taking, showing that those with high levels of SC had lower levels of self-harm and risk-taking. SC was also found to moderate the relationship between adolescent-rated EE and risk-taking, showing that adolescents in a high EE environment engaged in less risk-taking if their self-compassion was high, compared to if their self-compassion was low. These findings suggest that SC may be a beneficial focus of treatment for young people engaging in risk-taking and experiencing high EE familial environments.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 5
REC reference
23/WS/0040
Date of REC Opinion
20 Mar 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion