Understanding the impact of children's and young people's self‐harm on parental well‐being: a systematic literature review of qualitative and quantitative findings

Background: Self‐harm in children and young people is increasing. Parents are vital in supporting young people; however, parents may experience distress linked to the self‐harm. Previous reviews have highlighted the emotional impact and need for information and support, however, have not elucidated the relationships between these themes, nor examined the quantitative data examining parents' well‐being. Methods: We conducted a mixed methods review, with qualitative meta‐synthesis focusing on links between themes and quantitative synthesis of parental well‐being findings, including pooled means. PsycInfo, Medline, EMBASE, AMED, CINHAL and Web of Science were searched to identify relevant records. References of included studies were also searched. Every abstract was screened by two authors. Data were extracted by one author and checked by another. Results: We identified 39 reports of 32 studies: 16 with qualitative data and 17 with quantitative data (one had both). Qualitative findings showed how parents' emotions were associated to their knowledge and beliefs about self‐harm. Parents' emotions often evidenced the need to self‐care, but emotions of guilt reduced engagement in self‐care. How parents supported their young person was linked to their knowledge, and the management of their own emotions, and influenced if they could engage in self‐care. Quantitative findings were mixed, however suggested poor general mental health amongst these parents. Conclusions: Further good quality quantitative studies are needed, with measurement of psychological mechanisms that may underpin parental distress. Current evidence supports peer‐support and interventions that go beyond information provision to address the connected factors of knowledge, emotion, self‐care, and parenting behaviours

Understanding the impact of children's and young people's self-harm on parental well-being: a systematic literature review of qualitative and quantitative findings

Background Self-harm in children and young people is increasing. Parents are vital in supporting young people; however, parents may experience distress linked to the self-harm. Previous reviews have highlighted the emotional impact and need for information and support, however, have not elucidated the relationships between these themes, nor examined the quantitative data examining parents' well-being. Methods We conducted a mixed methods review, with qualitative meta-synthesis focusing on links between themes and quantitative synthesis of parental well-being findings, including pooled means. PsycInfo, Medline, EMBASE, AMED, CINHAL and Web of Science were searched to identify relevant records. References of included studies were also searched. Every abstract was screened by two authors. Data were extracted by one author and checked by another. Results We identified 39 reports of 32 studies: 16 with qualitative data and 17 with quantitative data (one had both). Qualitative findings showed how parents' emotions were associated to their knowledge and beliefs about self-harm. Parents' emotions often evidenced the need to self-care, but emotions of guilt reduced engagement in self-care. How parents supported their young person was linked to their knowledge, and the management of their own emotions, and influenced if they could engage in self-care. Quantitative findings were mixed, however suggested poor general mental health amongst these parents. Conclusions Further good quality quantitative studies are needed, with measurement of psychological mechanisms that may underpin parental distress. Current evidence supports peer-support and interventions that go beyond information provision to address the connected factors of knowledge, emotion, self-care, and parenting behaviours

Paramedic independent prescribing: a qualitative study of early adopters in the UK

Paramedics working in advanced practice roles in the UK can now train to prescribe medicine. This is anticipated to benefit patient access to medicines and quality of care where there is a national shortage of doctors, particularly in primary care. Abstract published with permission

Bringing the outdoors indoors: immersive experiences of recreation in nature and coastal environments in residential care homes

This paper critiques the opportunities afforded by immersive experience technology to create stimulating, innovative living environments for long-term residents of care homes for the elderly. We identify the ways in which virtual mobility can facilitate reconnection with recreational environments. Specifically, the project examines the potential of two assistive and immersive experiences; virtual reality (VR) and multisensory stimulation environments (MSSE). Findings identify three main areas of knowledge contribution. First, the introduction of VR and MSSE facilitated participants re-engagement and sharing of past experiences as they recalled past family holidays, day trips or everyday practices. Secondly, the combination of the hardware of the VR and MSSE technology with the physical objects of the sensory trays created alternative, multisensual ways of engaging with the experiences presented to participants. Lastly, the clear preference for the MSSE experience over the VR experience highlighted the importance of social interaction and exchange for participants

Bringing the outdoors indoors: immersive experiences of recreation in nature and coastal environments in residential care homes

This paper critiques the opportunities afforded by immersive experience technology to create stimulating, innovative living environments for long-term residents of care homes for the elderly. We identify the ways in which virtual mobility can facilitate reconnection with recreational environments. Specifically, the project examines the potential of two assistive and immersive experiences; virtual reality (VR) and multisensory stimulation environments (MSSE). Findings identify three main areas of knowledge contribution. First, the introduction of VR and MSSE facilitated participants re-engagement and sharing of past experiences as they recalled past family holidays, day trips or everyday practices. Secondly, the combination of the hardware of the VR and MSSE technology with the physical objects of the sensory trays created alternative, multisensual ways of engaging with the experiences presented to participants. Lastly, the clear preference for the MSSE experience over the VR experience highlighted the importance of social interaction and exchange for participants

Understanding the impact of children's and young people's self harm on parents: A systematic literature review of qualitative and quantitative findings

Background: Self-harm is children and young people is increasing. Parents are vital in supporting young people; however parents may experience distress linked to the self-harm. Previous reviews have highlighted the emotional impact and need for information and support, however, have not elucidated the relationships between these themes, nor examined the quantitative data examining parents’ wellbeing. Methods: We conducted a mixed methods review, with qualitative meta-synthesis focusing on links between themes and quantitative synthesis of parental wellbeing findings, including pooled means. PsycInfo, Medline, EMBASE, AMED, CINHAL and Web of Science were searched to identify relevant records. References of included studies were also searched. Every abstract was screened by two authors. Data were extracted by one author and checked by another. Results: We identified 39 reports of 32 studies: 16 with qualitative data and 17 with quantitative data (one had both). Qualitative findings showed how parents’ emotions were associated to their knowledge and beliefs about self-harm. Parents emotions often evidenced the need to self-care, but emotions of guilt reduced engagement in self-care. How parents supported their young person was linked to their knowledge, and management of their own emotions, and influenced if they could engage in self-care. Quantitative findings were mixed, however suggested poor general mental health amongst these parents. Conclusions: Further good quality quantitative studies are needed, with measurement of psychological mechanisms that may underpin parental distress. Current evidence supports peer-support and interventions that go beyond information provision to address the connected factors of knowledge, emotion, self-care, and parenting behaviours