What Are Nursing Attitudes to Youth Who Engage in Self-Harm? An Integrative Review

Abstract

This integrative review explored nursing assessment of youth who self-harm. Eleven papers published between 2000 to 2020 met inclusion criteria. Three themes emerged: “Doctors and nurses’ perceptions of assessment of self-harm”, “Attitudes and experiences of assessment of self-harm” and “Assessments and outcomes”. The ways youth communicate is an important consideration when assessing and planning for care. The metaphor of Narcissus is used to understand youth beliefs, self-image and how they communicate these thoughts. This paper suggests an alternative reading of what young people, who presents with self-harm, are trying to communicate to others and how this is integrated into assessment.