Staff attitudes, beliefs and responses towards self-harm: a systematised literature review

Abstract

Self-harm is a growing issue and remains a complex phenomenon in contemporary society. Understanding this behaviour may present challenges to staff providing care and support to patients who self-harm. There is an absence of a detailed review on staff attitudes, beliefs and responses towards self-harm. The aim of this review was to explore and critically appraise research on how staff attitudes impact on care provision. Electronic databases were searched and relevant literature were critically analysed to gather evidence to address this review. This review identified lack of training, staff support and limited resources as contributory factors to negative attitudes and hostility towards self-harm patients. Reasons for self-harm may be misconstrued, resulting to unhelpful responses and patients being ascribed stigmatising labels. Understanding factors that contribute to these unhelpful responses allows for the development of core strategies that enhances effective care.