Supporting the supporters : how adolescent females respond to a friend who engages in non-suicidal self-injury : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
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Date
2016
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Massey University
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Abstract
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a maladaptive coping strategy employed by young people in
response to feelings of distress. Adolescents are more likely to communicate engagement in NSSI
with their peers whom they turn to for support. How young people respond to peers engaging in
self-harm, how this impacts the friendship, and how these supporters cope with assuming and
administering this role are largely unknown. A qualitative methodology, Interpretative
Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), was chosen for this project in order to explore and understand the
sense-making experiences of participants. Five female, Year 10 students from a single school in the
Hawke’s Bay were interviewed. Five themes were identified including NSSI and relationships,
burden and responsibility, the helping response, costs of caring, and supporter needs.
The results highlighted the complex nature of this helping relationship and emphasised the need for
increased and multifaceted forms of support to be provided to those responding to a peer engaging
in self-harm. Young people indicated several factors that would be helpful to assist support
providers to continue to help peers in distress including access to information about effective ways
to support a friend engaging in NSSI and to be providing this support within a network that functions
to resource and support the supporters. High schools are challenged to engage young people in the
design and structure of student health and well-being services in their school, and the
implementation of a student-led mentoring programme that caters for the support needs of the
supporter is advocated.
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Keywords
Self-destructive behaviour in adolescence, Prevention, Parasuicide, Friendship in adolescence, Female friendship, Research Subject Categories::SOCIAL SCIENCES::Social sciences::Psychology::Applied psychology