Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Teachers’ Perceptions of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in the Schools

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
School Mental Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a growing concern among professionals working with youth. The present study investigated the self-reported confidence, knowledge, and attitudes regarding NSSI among 155 high school teachers (51 men, 104 women). More than half of the teachers (60%) responded that they found the idea of NSSI “horrifying.” When asked about their own levels of confidence in dealing with NSSI, 67% said that they would feel comfortable if a student spoke to them about NSSI; however, only 43% felt knowledgeable about this behavior. Years of teaching experience was found to be positively associated with disagreement that individuals who self-injure are manipulative. Male teachers reported more negative attitudes than female teachers. Implications for school mental health professionals are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aseltine, R. H., Jr., & DeMartino, R. (2004). An outcome evaluation of the SOS suicide prevention program. American Journal of Public Health, 94(3), 446–451.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Best, R. (2005). Deliberate self-harm: Training, support and school-agency links. Journal of Social Work Practice, 19(3), 275–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Best, R. (2006). Deliberate self-harm in adolescents: A challenge for schools. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 34(2), 161–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carlson, L., DeGeer, S. M., Deur, C., & Fenton, K. (2005). Teachers’ awareness of self-cutting behavior among the adolescent population. Praxis, 5, 22–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chapman, A., Gratz, K., & Brown, M. (2006). Solving the puzzle of deliberate self-harm: The experiential avoidance model. Behavior Research & Therapy, 44(3), 371–394.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Claes, L., Vandereycken, W., & Vertommen, H. (2003). Eating-disordered patients with and without self-injurious behaviors: A comparison of psychopathological features. European Eating Disorders Review, 11, 379–396.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Derouin, A., & Bravender, T. (2004). Living on the edge: The current phenomenon of self-mutilation in adolescents. MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, 29(1), 12–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dulit, R. A., Ryer, M. R., & Leon, A. C. (1994). Clinical correlates of self-mutilation in borderline personality disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 151(9), 1305–1311.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Favazza, A. R. (1996). Bodies under siege: Self-mutilation and body modification and psychiatry (2nd ed.). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Favazza, A. R. (1998). The coming of age of self-mutilation. Journal of Nervous Mental Disease, 186, 259–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gerson, J., & Stanley, B. (2002). Suicidal and self-injurious behavior in personality disorder: Controversies and treatment directions. Current Psychiatry Reports, 4, 30–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gratz, K., Conrad, S. D., & Roemer, L. (2002). Risk factors for deliberate self-harm among college students. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 72(1), 128–140.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Griffin, J. C., Williams, D. E., & Stark, M. T. (1985). Self-injurious behavior: A statewide prevalence survey. Applied Research Mental Retardation, 7, 105–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heath, N. L., & Nixon, M. K. (2009). Assessment of nonsuicidal self-injury in youth. In M. K. Nixon & N. L. Heath (Eds.), Self-injury in youth: The essential guide to assessment and intervention. New York, NY: Routledge Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heath, N. L., Schaub, K., Holly, S., & Nixon, M. K. (2009). Self-injury today: Review of population and clinical studies in adolescents. In M. K. Nixon & N. L. Heath (Eds.), Self-injury in youth: The essential guide to assessment and intervention. New York, NY: Routledge Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heath, N. L., Toste, J. R., & Beettam, E. (2006). “I am not well-equipped”: High school teachers’ perceptions of self-injury. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 21(1), 73–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heath, N. L., Toste, J. R., Nedecheva, T., & Charlebois, A. (2008). An examination of nonsuicidal self-injury among college students. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 30(2), 137–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Izutsu, T., Shimotsu, S., Matsumoto, T., Okada, T., Kikuchi, A., Kojimoto, M., et al. (2006). Deliberate self-harm and childhood hyperactivity in junior high school students. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 14, 1–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, E., Beld, A., & Butts, J. (2009). What do teachers and school psychologist know about self-injury? Poster presented at the annual meeting of the National Association of School Psychologists. Boston, MA: NASP.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalafat, J. (2003). Suicide, adolescence. In T. P. Gullota & M. Bloom (Eds.), Encyclopedia of primary prevention and health promotion (pp. 1099–1105). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laye-Gindhu, A., & Schonert-Reichl, K. A. (2005). Nonsuicidal self-harm among community adoelscents: Understanding the “whats” and “whys” of self-harm. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34(5), 445–457.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lloyd-Richardson, E. E., Perrine, N., Dierker, L., & Kelley, M. L. (2007). Characteristics and functions of non-suicidal self-injury in a community sample of adolescents. Psychological Medicine, 37, 1183–1192.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McAllister, M., Creedy, D., Moyle, W., & Farrugia, C. (2002). Nurses’ attitudes towards clients who self-harm. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 40(5), 578–586.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Muehlenkamp, J. J., & Gutierrez, P. M. (2004). An investigation of differences between self-injurious behavior and suicide attempts in a sample of adolescents. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 34, 12–23.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Muehlenkamp, J. J., & Gutierrez, P. M. (2007). Risk for suicide attempts among adolescents who engage in non-suicide self-injury. Archives of Suicide Research, 11, 69–82.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mumtaz, S. (2000). Factors affecting teachers’ use of information and communications technology: A review of the literature. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 9(3), 319–342. doi:10.1080/14759390000200096.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nixon, M. K., Cloutier, P. F., & Aggarwal, S. (2002). Affect regulation and addictive aspects of repetitive self-injury in hospitalized adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 41(11), 1333–1341.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nixon, M. K., Cloutier, P., & Jansson, S. M. (2008). Nonsuicidal self-harm in youth: A population-based survey. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 178(3), 306–312.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nock, M. K. (2008). Actions speak louder than words: An elaborated theoretical model of the social functions of self-injury and other harmful behaviors. Applied and Preventive Psychology, 12, 159–168.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nock, M. K., & Prinstein, M. J. (2004). A functional approach to the assessment of self-mutilative behavior. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72(5), 885–890.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nock, M. K., & Prinstein, M. J. (2005). Contextual features and behavioral functions of self-mutilation among adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 114, 140–146.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pajares, M. F. (1992). Teachers’ beliefs and educational research: Cleaning up a messy construct. Review of Educational Research, 62(3), 307–332. doi:10.3102/00346543062003307.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paris, J. (2005). Understanding self-mutilation in borderline personality disorder. The Harvard Review Psychiatry, 13(3), 179–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patton, G. C., Harris, R., Carlin, J. B., Hibbert, M. E., Coffey, C., Schwartz, M., et al. (1997). Adolescent suicidal behaviors: A population-based study of risk. Psychological Medicine, 27, 715–724.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Quinnett, P. (1995). QPR: Ask a question save a life. Spokane, WA: QPR Institute and Suicide Awareness/Voices of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, S., & Heath, N. (2002). A study of the frequency of self-mutilation in a community sample of adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 31(1), 67–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silverman, M. M., Berman, A. L., Sanddal, N. D., O’Carroll, P. W., & Joiner, T. E. (2007). Rebuilding the tower of babel: A revised nomenclature for the study of suicide and suicide behaviors, Part 2: Suicide-related ideations, communications, and behaviors. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 37, 264–277.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Walsh, B. W. (2006). Treating self-injury: A practical guide. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitlock, J., Eckenrode, J., & Silverman, D. (2006). Self-injurious behaviors in a college. Pediatrics, 117, 1939–1948.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Whitlock, J., & Knox, K. (2009). Intervention and prevention in the community. In M. K. Nixon & N. L. Heath (Eds.), Self-injury in youth: The essential guide to assessment and intervention. New York, NY: Routledge Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wyman, P. A., Brown, C. B., Inman, J., Cross, W., Schmeelk-Cone, K., Guo, J., et al. (2008). Randomized trial of a gatekeeper program for suicide prevention: 1 year-impact on secondary school staff. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 76, 104–115.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Young, R., Van Beinum, M., Sweeting, H., & West, P. (2007). Young people who self-harm. British Journal of Psychiatry, 191, 44–49.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zoroglu, S. S., Tuzun, U., Sar, V., Tutkun, H., Savas, H. A., Ozturk, M., et al. (2003). Suicide attempt and self-mutilation among Turkish high school students in relation with abuse, neglect and dissociation. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 57(1), 119–126.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational & Counselling Psychology, McGill University, 3700 McTavish Street, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Nancy L. Heath, Jessica R. Toste & Michael J. Sornberger

  2. Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Clara Wagner

Authors
  1. Nancy L. Heath
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jessica R. Toste
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Michael J. Sornberger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Clara Wagner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nancy L. Heath.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Heath, N.L., Toste, J.R., Sornberger, M.J. et al. Teachers’ Perceptions of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in the Schools. School Mental Health 3, 35–43 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-010-9043-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-010-9043-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation