Interdisciplinarity and self-injury: Toward an inclusive research and treatment paradigm

ABSTRACT

Background

Historically, the research and treatment of self-injury has been disciplinarily siloed. As a result, the behaviour is understood and treated differently among individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities. We explore the potential for an interdisciplinary research and practice agenda in self-injury.

Method

We conducted 10 focus groups with experts in self-injury and analysed discussions that resulted from the question: “What is the role of interdisciplinarity in the study and treatment of self-injury?”

Results

Through a reflexive thematic analysis we came up with actionable and positively-oriented themes: Interdisciplinarity at the Individual Level, Context of Needed Systems-Level Change, Highlighting Workforce Support, Strategic Use of Implementation and Dissemination Science, and The Pursuit of Integration. Each theme includes several subthemes that describe specific strategies.

Conclusions

An interdisciplinary approach is not only possible but worthwhile and would be particularly beneficial to supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities engaging in self-injurious behaviour.

KEYWORDS:

• Self-injury
• Self-injurious behaviour
• Nonsuicidal self-injury
• Interdisciplinary
• Qualitative
• Intellectual and developmental disabilities

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Drs Jason Wolff, Armeda Wojciak, Kathryn Cullen, and Rachel Freeman for providing feedback. Thank you to the Self Injury Workgroup at the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain for support in the conceptualisation, development, and implementation of this project. Thank you to the Graduate School at the University of Minnesota for funding this project through an Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellowship. Thank you to the participants in the focus groups who donated their time and expertise.

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported, in part, by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [grant number HD044763] and an Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellowship from the Graduate School at the University of Minnesota.