Experiences of Seeking Support for Self-harm during the COVID-19 Pandemic
The FReSH START team carried out a study over the summer looking at how people who self-harm have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and how they’ve been accessing support. We presented our findings at an online seminar on Tuesday 24th November and you can re-watch Cara’s presentation here:
The presentation was followed by an interesting discussion around topics such as the differential experiences of different demographics, online and telephone support and co-production of research, which we have summarised below.
Differential Experience based on Gender or Ethnicity
The study did not have a large representation of men or people from a range of ethnic backgrounds, as Cara’s presentation illustrates. Gender and ethnicity were not topics that were discussed in most interviews, however two participants did provide a little insight into these different experiences.
One male participant felt the expectations of him to be a strong member of the family and the community meant he found it difficult to discuss his mental health with others. This was reiterated by third sector attendees. They said that although increases in self-harm have been similar across gender, the reasons have differed, with men who have lost their role as ‘providers’ being greatly affected.
Another participant discussed how attitudes within their community towards mental health made it very difficult to get support. Mental health problems were seen as personal failings, rather than health problems that required professional support.
The FReSH START team discussed the attempts that were made to try and reach a broader range of ethnicities with the study. More work is needed here to help build relationships of trust with other communities, as well as helping to reduce the stigma around self-harm in many communities. This is something we have started to do with groups such as Blossoms, 42nd St and Ebony and Ivory. You can hear more about this work in our interview with one of your group members here: https://freshstart.leeds.ac.uk/news/understanding-self-harm-in-different-communities-and-culturally-appropriate-approaches-to-research/
Providing Support and Services Remotely
The group explored some of the barriers to online support and how this has affected service users since the suspension of many face-to-face services. These barriers ranged from being uncomfortable with online or telephone support, not having access to the technology or money for phone calls, to not feeling safe enough to have these conversations at home. Third sector organisations gave some valuable feedback on their experiences and some of the options they have on offer, with many offering online, phone, text, web chat, and some face-to-face for those who need it most. The key message that came through was that service users need to have a choice. Services that only offer one option for access will always exclude people. We need to acknowledge that different people have different needs and a one-size fits all will not work.
Co-production in Research
Kate Farley (senior researcher) and Marsha McAdam (lived experience team member) reflected on their experiences of co-production in FReSH START and what they have learnt. PPI involvement in research can often seem like a tick box exercise but in FReSH START we have tried to ensure we have lived experience involvement in every stage of the project. This includes the therapy for the trial, which was developed through co-production workshops. Kate highlighted just how valuable this approach has been. When we talk to potential participants, there is a real feeling that they trust the therapy, and are more likely to take part, because it was developed in partnership with people with lived experience. This level of involvement is more effort and it is important to really work on building the relationships of trust but the outcomes are so much stronger as a result. This approach has been greatly supported by NIHR who have been very happy to fund involvement at this level.
You can read more about Kate’s experience of co-production in research here: https://freshstart.leeds.ac.uk/news/the-voice-of-lived-experience-in-research/