An exploratory comparative study of perspectives on non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors among social work students in the United States, Greece, Cyprus, and Jordan: Implications for social work practice and education

Abstract

There has been a call for cross-cultural research in the understanding of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of ethnicity and culture on the understanding of NSSI among social work students in the United States, Greece/Cyprus, and Jordan. A convenience sample of 438 social work students was used. Participants completed a 60-item questionnaire. Results revealed statistically significant differences in students' knowledge and cultural beliefs about NSSI by country. This study makes a novel contribution to the exploration of cultural aspects of NSSI and has implications for international social work practice and education.

The impact of an undergraduate students' culture on their learning about mental health: A scoping review

“…Kokaliari et al (2017) found statistically significant differences in overall knowledge of NSSI between students from the USA, Jordan, and Greece/Cyprus. It was found that US students' knowledge of NSSI was more accurate than Greeks/Cypriots and Jordanian students, with authors identifying this may be related to the amount of time social work curriculum has been delivered (the USA has a 100‐year history in social work education, compared to 11 to 50 years in Greece/Cyprus and Jordan (Kokaliari et al, 2017).…”

“…Studies included participants from several disciplines including nursing (Hales, 1996; Liu et al, 2018; Patterson et al, 2021; Schafer et al, 2011), social work (Kokaliari et al, 2017), and health sciences (Al‐Krenawi et al, 2009). Due to the heterogeneity of the studies, the review is unable to determine whether one discipline has a better understanding of mental health than another.…”

“…Limitations were identified during the review. One study (Kokaliari et al, 2017) used a nonvalidated survey developed by the authors. However, they did linguistically review and pilot their survey in all relevant languages across the multicountry study.…”

“…However, they did linguistically review and pilot their survey in all relevant languages across the multicountry study. Two studies (Kokaliari et al, 2017; Liu et al, 2018) reported issues related to data being collected. Kokaliari et al (2017) noted a computer error that limited testing of their third hypothesis to two rather than three sites.…”

“…All studies noted differences between students' culture and ethnic group and their understanding of mental disorders. The attitudes of students from different cultural backgrounds, ethnic groups, and nationalities influence attitudes toward mental disorder (Al-Krenawi et al, 2009;Kokaliari et al, 2017;Patterson et al, 2021;Schafer et al, 2011). Schafer et al (2011) found differences between ethnic groups, identified as "White," "Black," or "Black British."…”