How & why young people use social media in relation to self-harm
Research type
Research Study
Full title
How and why young people use social media in relation to self harm and to what effect?
IRAS ID
151848
Contact name
Lucy Brett-Taylor
Contact email
Research summary
The proposed research aims to interview young people about how and why they use social media in relation to self-harm and to what effect. Research into self-harm and internet use and clinical opinion suggests that there exist both negative effects of and benefits to using the internet in relation to self-harm. However, research is lacking in relation to the use of social media of which young people have been said to be prolific users (Ofcom, 2012).
It is important to understand the relationship between a digital medium used extensively by young people and self-harming behaviour. This study hopes to enable learning about this new phenomenon, which is yet to be researched and to add to and extend the existing literature about self-harm and other forms of internet use. This study hopes to benefit young people by providing new information to clinicians and others in their systems about what needs might be being met by using social media that perhaps are not met elsewhere and enable care to become more suited and relevant as a result.
The aim is to interview 8-10 young people who self-harm. Participants will be recruited from the National and Specialist Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) service based at the Maudsley hospital and consent will be obtained from the young person and their parent/guardian. Young people within this service have been given the label of “emerging borderline personality disorder”, of which is self-harming is a characteristic. Young people will be recruited through local generic CAMHS services in South London and Maudsley trust if recruitment through the DBT service proves difficult.
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) will be the method of analysis used to explore the young persons' subjective experiences. The study will take place between July 2014 to August 2015.
REC name
London - Riverside Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/1313
Date of REC Opinion
15 Sep 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion