ArticleBJPsych open2024
'Am I really the priority here?': help-seeking experiences of university students who self-harmed.
Article in BJPsych open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Factors Influencing the Initiation and Continued Engagement of Digital Mental Health Tools Among Adults: Theory of Planned Behavior-Informed Systematic Review.JMIR mental health · 2026Pooled it
- Help-seeking patterns for non-suicidal self-injury across borderline symptom profiles in a large sample of university students.Borderline personality disorder and emotion dysregulation · 2026Article
- Internalized Stigma and Help-Seeking Across Problems and Targets.The journal of behavioral health services & research · 2026Article
- University student mental health research: look back to move forward.BJPsych open · 2026Article
- Advances in the study of non-suicidal self-injury in adolescents and emerging adults: integrating theBJPsych open · 2026Article
- Psychopathology profiles and longitudinal correlates of nonsuicidal self-injury in youth: a machine-learning approach.Translational psychiatry · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSelf-harm is a significant problem in university students because of its association with emotional distress, physical harm, broader mental health issues and potential suicidality. Research suggests that fewer than half of students who have self-harmed seek professional help when at university.
aimsThis study aimed to explore the help-seeking journeys of university students who had engaged in self-harm, to identify perceived facilitators and barriers to securing both formal and informal support.
methodParticipants comprised 12 students who had self-harmed during their university tenure. Engaging in two semi-structured interviews over the academic year, they shared insights into their help-seeking behaviours and proposed enhancements to local services. Data underwent reflexive thematic analysis within a critical realist framework.
resultsThe analysis identified four themes: 'The initial university phase poses the greatest challenge', 'Perceived criteria for "valid" mental health problems', 'Evading external judgements, concerns and consequences' and 'The pivotal role of treatment options and flexibility in recovery'.
conclusionsStudents felt isolated and misunderstood, which amplified self-harming tendencies and diminished inclinations for help-seeking. A prevalent belief was that for self-harm to be deemed 'valid', it must manifest with a certain severity; however, concurrent fears existed around the ramifications of perceived excessive severity. Participants expressed a desire for streamlined pathways to mental health resources, encompassing both university and external mental health services. Insights from this study could guide future research and inform current service paradigms within academic and healthcare systems.
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Registered trials
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