Table 1.
Characteristics of participants
| Characteristic | Young people who self‐harm (n = 77) | Health‐care professionals (n = 10) | Health‐care students (n = 8) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean age (SD) | 19.3 (2.9) | 34.9 (8.1) | 25.9 (9.5) |
| Female | 73 (95%) | 7 (70%) | 8 (100%) |
| White ethnic origin | 74 (96%) | 8 (80%) | 8 (100%) |
| Country of residence | |||
| England | 57 (74%) | 10 (100%) | 7 (88%) |
| Other UK | 14 (18%) | – | 1 (12%) |
| Other | 6 (8%) | – | – |
| Last time self‐harmed | |||
| In last 7 days | 34 (44%) | – | 1 (12.5%) |
| In last month | 20 (26%) | – | 1 (12.5%) |
| 1–6 months | 17 (22%) | – | 1 (12.5%) |
| 7–12 months | 2 (3%) | – | – |
| 1–4 years | 4 (5%) | – | 2 (25%) |
| 5 or more years | – | 1 (10%) | – |
| Type of self‐harm (not mutually exclusive) | |||
| Cutting | 77 (100%) | – | 5 (63%) |
| Not eating | 50 (65%) | 1 (10%) | 1 (13%) |
| Overdosing | 48 (62%) | – | 3 (38%) |
| Burning | 44 (57%) | – | 1 (13%) |
| Biting | 35 (45%) | – | – |
| Misusing alcohol/drugs | 35 (45%) | – | 2 (25%) |
| Bingeing | 34 (44%) | – | 1 (13%) |
| Other (e.g. head banging, hair pulling, bruising, broken bones) | 40 (52%) | – | 1 (13%) |
| Service contact for mental health problems | 63 (81%) | 1 (10%) | 4 (50%) |
| Nature of service contact (not mutually exclusive) | |||
| General practitioner (GP) | 50 (65%) | 1 (10%) | 3 (38%) |
| Accident & Emergency (A&E) | 29 (38%) | – | 3 (38%) |
| Drop‐in or walk‐in centre | 8 (10%) | – | 1 (13%) |
| Mental health professional (psychiatrist, psychiatric nurse, clinical psychologist) | 51 (66%) | 1 (10%) | 4 (50%) |
| Counsellor (via GP) | 31 (40%) | – | 2 (25%) |
| Other (university/school counsellor) | 12 (16%) | – | – |
| Health‐care discipline | |||
| Mental health nursing | – | 2 (20%) | 4 (50%) |
| Clinical psychology | – | – | 1 (12.5%) |
| Psychiatry | – | 4 (40%) | – |
| Other medicine | – | 1 (10%) | 1 (12.5%) |
| Social work | – | 2 (20%) | – |
| Other | – | 1 (10%) | 2 (25%) |
| Internet usage | |||
| Daily | 75 (97%) | 9 (90%) | 8 (100%) |
| Once a week | 1 (1%) | 1 (10%) | – |
| Once a month or less | – | – | – |
| Missing data | 1 (1%) | – | – |
| Social software use (not mutually exclusive) | |||
| Social networking sites | 70 (91%) | 6 (60%) | 7 (88%) |
| Instant messaging | 56 (73%) | 4 (40%) | 6 (75%) |
| Discussion forums | 56 (73%) | 2 (20%) | 4 (50%) |
| YouTube | 49 (64%) | 3 (30%) | 4 (50%) |
| 15 (19%) | 1 (10%) | 1 (13%) | |
| Chat rooms | 14 (18%) | 1 (10%) | – |
| Skype | 6 (8%) | 2 (20%) | – |