How Do Young Women Perceive Adult Responses to the Disclosure of Their Self-Harm and What Is the Impact of That Perception?

Rates of self-harm amongst young women are rising. However, only half of individuals disclose self-harm, and when they do, they may be met with responses that can be harmful or helpful to recovery. The aim of the current study is to understand how young women perceive adult (e.g., parents, health professionals) responses to their self-harm disclosures, and the impact these responses have on them. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with young women (N = 27, M age = 20.9, SD = 2.1) reporting a history of self-harm. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data, with three main themes generated: (1) the young woman's needs were diminished, (2) the confidant's response was not attuned to their needs, and (3) the confidant's response was attuned to their needs. The first theme reflects responses that felt dismissive or elicited feelings of discomfort or shame. The second theme captures responses that failed to resonate with the participant's needs or were unhelpful or invalidating. The third theme represents responses that elicited feelings of being cared for or validated. Future interventions could focus on educating parents and health professionals about the best approaches to responding to self-harm disclosures that promote future disclosure and recovery.