Examining the Needs of Paediatric Nurses Caring for Children and Young People Presenting with Self-Harm/Suicidal Behaviour on General Paediatric Wards: Findings from a Small-Scale Study

A systematic review into healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards self-harm in children and young people and its impact on care provision

“…Rouski et al (2017) identified that experienced professionals allotted time to create an understanding, open and inquisitive relationship with patients, impacting on the quality of care they could provide. Despite the majority of healthcare professionals desire to spend more time with patients, busy ward environments inhibited their ability to do so (Fisher and Foster, 2016; Rouski et al, 2017).…”

“…Apprehensiveness when caring for CYP who self-harm was dominant for all healthcare professional groups (Carter et al, 2018; Crawford et al, 2003; Fisher and Foster, 2016; Thomas, 2017; Timson et al, 2012; Wheatley and Austin-Payne, 2009). Fear their words or actions may contribute to worsening symptoms was the main reason why some healthcare professionals preferred to maintain distance when caring for these patients (Fisher and Foster, 2016; Thomas, 2017). Consequently, this will worsen patient care by not enabling creation of therapeutic relationships and development of alternative coping mechanisms to deal with self-harm (Nafisi and Stanley, 2007).…”

“…Healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards self-harm in CYP are multifaceted and, in part, connected with lack of understanding or knowledge regarding self-harm as a maladaptive coping mechanism for dealing with stressful feelings (Fisher and Foster, 2016) (Figure 2). Practice educators should have awareness of up-to-date interventions in clinical care of self-harming patients, allowing dissemination of knowledge between healthcare professionals, aiming to encourage high-quality care for CYP who self-harm.…”

“…Nurses, in particular, create boundaries and maintain a distant approach to patient care (Rouski et al, 2017; Thomas, 2017), which could generate professional detachment and inability to communicate effectively. This can have a lasting impact on care provision, affecting personal and professional skills and hindering trusting and caring behaviours that allow creation of therapeutic relationships, the most critical element of effective treatment (DH, 2015; Fisher and Foster, 2016; Nafisi and Stanley, 2007; Rouski et al, 2017). Healthcare professionals’ personal reflections relating to their attitudes towards self-harm should be encouraged.…”

The attitudes and feelings of mental health nurses towards adolescents and young adults with nonsuicidal self-injuring behaviors

“…While they are expected to remain professional and offer support to the patients and their families regardless of the emotional weight of the situation, they face elevated risk for compassion fatigue and burnout, which negatively impacts their ability to empathize and, consequently, the patients’ experience with care [ 25 , 26 ]. A lack of knowledge and understanding by healthcare workers about the etiology and aims of self-injury contributes to a negative perception of the individuals who self-injure and, due to this, a poor healthcare experience [ 17 , 19 , 22 , 27 – 29 ]. Adults who self-harm describe their experience with professionals as judgmental, not listening and lacking sufficient knowledge, they report that a positive relationship with healthcare personnel is key to motivating patients with NSSI to continue treatment and seek further help [ 28 ].…”