Friendship and self-harm:A retrospective qualitative study of young adults' experiences of supporting a friend who self-harmed during adolescence

Introduction: Self-harm amongst young people is becoming increasinglyprevalent. Understanding, responding to, and supporting young people who self-harm is vital. Friends are typically the first and sometimes the only source of support sought by adolescents who self-harm. Despite their important role asconfidants, friends’ perspectives and experiences remain poorly understood.Methods: We conducted retrospective qualitative semi-structured interviews,prompted by an adapted version of the Card Sort Task for Self-Harm (CaTS-FF), about the experiences of nine female young adults (18-20 years old) whosupported a friend who self-harmed during adolescence. Data were analyzedusing thematic analysis.Results: Four themes were developed: (1) “I did not realize my friend was on theroad to self-harm”: Friends’ reactions to self-harm; (2) “That’s what friends do”: the role of friends; (3) The impact of supporting a friend who self-harms; and (4) “They were quite formative years”: reflecting on growth through the experience.Discussion: The present findings highlight the complex experiences of youngpeople supporting a friend who self-harms. Despite being willing to take on therole of a supporter, participants experienced a range of difficult emotions andconsequences. The temporal transition running through the four themes reflectsthe evolving nature of participants’ attitudes, knowledge, and friendships. Overall, results highlight the unmet needs of adolescents supporting young people who self-harm, as well as identifying potential pathways to “support the supporters” toward resilience

The bright side of dark: exploring the positive effect of grandiose narcissism on perceived stress through mental toughness

Previous research reported that Subclinical Narcissism (SN) may increase Mental Toughness (MT) resulting in positive outcomes such as lower psychopathy, higher school grades and lower symptoms of depression. We conducted three studies (N = 364, 240 and 144 for studies 1, 2 and 3, respectively) to test a mediation model, which suggests that SN may increase MT predicting lower Perceived Stress (PS). The participants were drawn from the general population in studies 1 and 2; and were undergraduate students in study 3. SN exerted a negative indirect effect on PS, through MT across all three studies: β = -.26, SE = .039, 95% CI [-.338, -.187]); β = -.25, SE = .050, 95% CI [-.358, -.160]); β = -.31, SE = .078, 95% CI [-.473, -.168]). The results were replicated in the combined dataset. In study 3, we extended the sensitivity of the model showing that, it is the Grandiose SN that decreases PS, through MT; Vulnerable SN exhibited the reverse pattern. The findings indicate that the model, from SN to MT, may predict positive outcomes in various domains (e.g. in education and psychopathology) suggesting that inclusion of SN in the dark triad of personality may need to be reconsidered

Adolescent risk-taking and decision making: a qualitative investigation of a virtual reality experience of gangs and violence

Introduction: Gang involvement poses serious risks to young people, including antisocial and criminal behaviour, sexual and criminal exploitation, and mental health problems. There is a need for research-informed development of preventive interventions. To this end, we conducted a qualitative study of young people’s responses to an educational virtual reality (VR) experience of an encounter with a gang, to understand young people’s decisions, emotions and consequences.Methods: Young people (N = 24 aged 13-15, 11 female, 13 male) underwent the VR experience followed by semi-structured focus group discussions. Questions focused on virtual decision-making (motivations, thoughts, feelings, consequences) and user experiences of taking part. Data were analysed using Thematic Analysis.Results: Three themes were developed to represent how participants’ perceptions of the gang, themselves, and the context influenced virtual decisions. Social pressure from the gang competed with participants’ wish to stand by their morals and establish individual identity. The VR setting, through its escalating events and plausible characters, created an “illusion of reality” and sense of authentic decisions and emotions, yielding insights for real-life in a safe, virtual environment.Discussion: Findings shed light on processes influencing adolescent decision-making in a virtual context of risk-taking, peer pressure and contact with a gang. Particularly, they highlight the potential for using VR in interventions with young people, given its engaging and realistic nature

A systematic review and narrative synthesis exploring the relationship between friendships and peer relationships, and self-harm ideation and behaviour among young people

Friendships and peer relationships have an important role in the experience of self-harm ideation and behaviour in young people, yet they typically remain overlooked. The present systematic review and narrative synthesis explore the extant literature on this topic to identify important relationships between these constructs. A keyword search of peer-reviewed empirical articles relating to friendships and peer relationships and self-harm ideation and behaviour in young people (11-25 years old) was conducted across 11 databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, SCOPUS, PubMed, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Sociology Database, IBSS and Sociological Abstracts) from database inception to April 2024. 90 articles were identified presenting evidence primarily from high-school adolescents (11-18 years old), mixed-gender (with a slight overrepresentation of females), White samples. Findings highlight significant, substantive relationships between the key constructs: (a) Studies of young people with self-harm ideation and behaviour show evidence that 1) characteristics of friends and peers, including their self-harm ideation and behaviour, relate to and predict ego self-harm ideation and behaviour; 2) friends and peers are important sources of support; 3) evidence on causal mechanisms is limited, but highlights potential peer selection and influence processes; b) Studies of friends and peers of young people with self-harm ideation and behaviour, highlight that 1) friends’ attitudes to self-harm and suicide influence their responses to peers’ self-harm ideation and behaviour; and 2) bereaved friends and friend supporters experience negative outcomes. Despite significant heterogeneity across samples, study designs and definition/measurement of the primary constructs, the current review represents an initial step in organising a complex literature on a critically important topic. These findings have important implications for the development of future research and evidence-based interventions

DataSheet1_Adolescent risk-taking and decision making: a qualitative investigation of a virtual reality experience of gangs and violence.docx

Introduction: Gang involvement poses serious risks to young people, including antisocial and criminal behaviour, sexual and criminal exploitation, and mental health problems. There is a need for research-informed development of preventive interventions. To this end, we conducted a qualitative study of young people’s responses to an educational virtual reality (VR) experience of an encounter with a gang, to understand young people’s decisions, emotions and consequences.Methods: Young people (N = 24 aged 13-15, 11 female, 13 male) underwent the VR experience followed by semi-structured focus group discussions. Questions focused on virtual decision-making (motivations, thoughts, feelings, consequences) and user experiences of taking part. Data were analysed using Thematic Analysis.Results: Three themes were developed to represent how participants’ perceptions of the gang, themselves, and the context influenced virtual decisions. Social pressure from the gang competed with participants’ wish to stand by their morals and establish individual identity. The VR setting, through its escalating events and plausible characters, created an “illusion of reality” and sense of authentic decisions and emotions, yielding insights for real-life in a safe, virtual environment.Discussion: Findings shed light on processes influencing adolescent decision-making in a virtual context of risk-taking, peer pressure and contact with a gang. Particularly, they highlight the potential for using VR in interventions with young people, given its engaging and realistic nature.</p

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