Occupational Therapy for Children and Young People Who Self-harm: A Qualitative Study

NCT06317155 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: BournemouthU-AS
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 30
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The goal of this qualitative observational study is to explore the experiences of children and their carers, receiving occupational therapy for self-harm and the experiences of health professionals delivering these interventions. The child cohort within the study will have a history of self-harm and have been under the care of Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• What are the experiences of children and their carers who have received occupational therapy interventions as either a standalone, or adjunct, treatment for self-harm, whilst under the care of Tier 4 CAMHS service.
• What are the experiences of healthcare professionals delivering occupational therapy interventions working within a T4 CAMHS service.
• To understand the participants views on whether occupational therapy interventions are a viable and effective approach to address self-harm amongst young people. Participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire and take part in a single semi-structured interview. 25% of participants may be asked to take part in a further in depth semi-structured interview.

Conditions

Self Harm

Keywords

Occupational therapy; intervention; self harm

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• What was the participants experience of receiving or delivering an occupational therapy informed intervention?

  Metric used: questionnaire

  1 week

• What was the participants experience of receiving or delivering an occupational therapy informed intervention?

  Metric used: semi-structured interviews

  1 week

• Did the participants feel the occupational therapy informed interventions were effective in supporting young people who self-harm or effective in reducing self-harm?

  Metric used: questionnaire

  1 week

• Did the participants feel the occupational therapy informed interventions were effective in supporting young people who self-harm or effective in reducing self-harm?

  Metric used: semi-structured interviews

  1 week

Study Arms (3)

Young People

Young people who have a history of self-harm who have received an occupational therapy informed interventions from a Tier 4 CAMHS service within the last 12 months.

Other: Occupational therapy

Carers

The carers of a young person who has a history of self-harm, and who has received an occupational therapy informed interventions from a Tier 4 CAMHS service in the last 12 months.

Other: Occupational therapy

Healthcare Practitioners

Healthcare practitioners who have delivered or helped to facilitate an occupational therapy informed intervention whilst working for a Tier 4 CAMHS service, in the last 12 months.

Other: Occupational therapy

Interventions

Occupational therapy OTHER

Occupation Therapy, specifically interoception informed interventions which aim to improve sensory integration and emotional regulation. Additionally, occupational therapy models which focus on augmenting well-being and functionality, facilitating participation and engagement within communities, and promoting involvement in meaningful activity.

Carers; Healthcare Practitioners; Young People

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 13 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population will consist of children, and their carers, who have received occupational therapy informed treatment for self-harm from a Tier 4 CAMHS team in England. The study population will also include healthcare professionals who have worked, or currently work, within a Tier 4 CAMHS team in England.

You may qualify if:

• For young people:
• They have been under the care of the Tier 4 CAMHS team in the last 12 months.
• They have a history of self-harm which has necessitated support from the Tier 4 CAMHS team.
• They received an occupational therapy informed intervention whilst under the care of the Tier 4 CAMHS team, either as a primary treatment or adjunct to a treatment plan which may have involved other interventions.
• They are able to give verbal and written consent to enrol onto the study and are judged by their carer and the study lead to have capacity (over 16, as defined by the MCA) OR Gillick competency (under 16) to agree to take part in the study.
• Carers
• They are the carer for a child who has been under the Tier 4 CAMHS team in the last 12 months and said child received an occupational therapy informed intervention for self-harm, either as a primary treatment or adjunct to a treatment plan which may have involved other interventions.
• They may or may not have been involved in the facilitation or taken part in the occupational therapy intervention but were involved in the care of their child whilst they were under the Tier 4 CAMHS team.
• Professionals
• They currently work in the Tier 4 CAMHS service and have helped to deliver or facilitate an occupational therapy informed intervention.

You may not qualify if:

• Young people
• They are currently under the care of the Tier 4 CAMHS team or the Enhanced Support and Liaison CAMHS team.
• They are considered to be acutely mentally or physically unwell at the time of enrolment to the study, to the degree that it may impair their ability to consent to, or engage fully in, the study.
• They are currently the subject of an active Section 47 enquiry (MCA) or a safeguarding enquiry (s42 Children Act).
• They are considered to be in active addiction to either alcohol or licit / illicit substances.
• They are unable to give verbal and written consent to enrol onto the study and are judged by their carer and the study lead to lack capacity (over 16, as defined by the MCA) OR to not be Gillick competent (under 16) in order to agree to take part in the study.
• Carers
• They were estranged or were not involved in the care of their child whilst said child was under the Tier 4 CAMHS team so they are unable to give their view of any occupational therapy informed intervention during that time. or their own experiences of caring for a child whilst they received an occupational therapy informed intervention.
• They are considered to be in active addiction to either alcohol or licit / illicit substances to the degree that it impairs their capacity to agree to take part in the study or to the degree that they are able to safely or appropriately engage in the study.
• They are currently the subject of an active Section 47 enquiry (MCA) or a safeguarding enquiry (s42 Children Act).
• They are subject to any form of restriction regarding contact with their child due to the outcome of a Section 47 enquiry (MCA) or a safeguarding enquiry (s42 Children Act), and / or their involvement with the study would breach any restrictions placed upon them due to these factors, or within this context they would compromise the safety of a child should they be enrolled onto the study.
• Professionals
• They have not worked for a Tier 4 CAMHS service in the last 12 months.
• If they work for a non-T4 CAMHS service at the point of enrolment to the study they are not currently working with a young person involved in the study.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Bournemouth University: lead
• Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust: collaborator

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Self-Injurious Behavior

Interventions

Occupational Therapy

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Rehabilitation; Aftercare; Continuity of Patient Care; Patient Care; Therapeutics

Study Officials

• Andrew J Sweetmore

  Bournemouth University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Andrew J Sweetmore

CONTACT

01202524111; asweetmore@bournemouth.ac.uk

Heidi Singleton

CONTACT

01202524111; hsingleton@bournemouth.ac.uk

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: CASE ONLY
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Target Duration: 1 Month
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 7, 2024
• First Posted: March 19, 2024
• Study Start: December 1, 2024
• Primary Completion: September 1, 2025
• Study Completion: December 1, 2025
• Last Updated: March 19, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share