Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

BACKGROUND: The attitudes held by clinical staff towards people who harm themselves, together with their knowledge about self-harm, are likely to influence their clinical practice and hence the experiences and outcomes of patients. Our aim was to systematically review the nature of staff attitudes towards people who engage in self-harm, including the factors that influence them, and the impact of training on attitudes, knowledge and behaviour of staff. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A comprehensive search for relevant studies was performed on six electronic databases. Two independent reviewers screened titles, abstracts and full reports of studies, extracted data and gave each paper a quality rating. Qualitative and quantitative studies published in English were included. A total of 74 studies were included. Attitudes of general hospital staff, especially doctors, were largely negative, particularly towards individuals who repeatedly self-harm. Self-harm patients were viewed more negatively than other patients, except those abusing alcohol or drugs. Psychiatric staff in community and hospital settings displayed more positive attitudes than general hospital staff. Negative attitudes were more common among doctors than nursing staff although this was only true of general hospital staff. Active training led to consistent improvements in attitude and knowledge in all groups. CONCLUSIONS: Attitudes of general hospital staff towards self-harm patients are often negative, mirroring the experience of service users. Interventions can have a positive impact and improve the quality of patient care. LIMITATIONS: Included only English language publications.

Original publication

DOI

10.1016/j.jad.2011.08.024

Type

Journal article

Journal

J Affect Disord

Publication Date

08/2012

Volume

139

Pages

205 - 216

Keywords

Attitude of Health Personnel, Clinical Competence, Humans, Professional-Patient Relations, Self-Injurious Behavior