Managing deliberate self-harm in young people: An evaluation of a training program developed for school welfare staff using a longitudinal research design
2008

Training Program for School Staff on Deliberate Self-Harm

Sample size: 213 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Jo Robinson, Sara Gook, Hok Pan Yuen, Patrick D McGorry, Alison R Yung

Primary Institution: Orygen Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne

Hypothesis

The delivery of the training would lead to improved understanding, confidence, and skills in managing deliberate self-harm among school welfare staff.

Conclusion

The study demonstrated that specifically designed training can improve school welfare staff's ability to support young people engaging in deliberate self-harm.

Supporting Evidence

  • Participants showed significant improvements in confidence and skills after the training.
  • Improvements in knowledge of deliberate self-harm were sustained over a 6-month follow-up.
  • Most participants had prior experience working with young people who self-harm.

Takeaway

This study shows that training can help teachers and school staff feel more confident in helping students who hurt themselves.

Methodology

The study used a longitudinal design with pre-test/post-test assessments to evaluate the training's effectiveness.

Potential Biases

The sample may not represent all school welfare staff as participants self-selected to attend the training.

Limitations

The study lacked a control group and had a self-selected sample, limiting generalizability.

Participant Demographics

{"gender_distribution":{"female":171,"male":null},"mean_age":42.5,"previous_training":140}

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.001

Statistical Significance

p<0.001

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-244X-8-75

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