‘Self-harm is wrong’: the experience of self-harming behaviours that inflict external injuries to the body in UK-based Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani women: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Abstract

This study investigated the experience of self-harming behaviour that inflicts external injuries to the body in UK based Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi (UKBIP) women. A total of eight participants were recruited via purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews were carried out. The interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Analyses were carried out on an individual and group level and three super-ordinate themes, and nine sub-ordinate themes emerged. The superordinate themes were: ‘Powerlessness’ (‘Entrapment’, ‘Internalised Negativity’ and ‘Abused by my Environment’), ‘Mitigation’ (‘Releasing my Overwhelming Emotions’, ‘Connecting to my Pain’ and ‘Addicted to Self-harm’) and ‘Self-harm is Wrong’ (‘It must be Hidden’, ‘What have I done to myself?’ & ‘My Self-harm is Sinful’). The analyses revealed novel insights on the impact and importance of some South-Asian cultural values and beliefs on the experience of self-harm in South-Asian women. This paper will focus on the third superordinate theme and related sub themes, that of ‘Self-harm is Wrong’.

Keywords:

• Powerlessness
• self-harm
• external injury
• Bangladeshi
• Indian
• Pakistani
• women

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to clarify their use of the term UK-based Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani (UKBIP) women in this paper, a variety of descriptors could have been used, for example British women with Bangladeshi, Indian or Pakistani heritage. The description used was intended to be inclusive as some of the participants may be resident but did not have British passports or nationality. The descriptor used was agreed with the research participants.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).