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Medical Students’ Attitudes toward Self-harm, and Curricular Influences on Attitude Development

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Abstract

Objectives

The authors explore attitudes that first and final year medical students have toward self-harm, and examine how the curriculum may influence the development of these attitudes.

Methods

Six focus groups, involving a total of 21 medical students, were used to explore the objectives. Thematic framework analysis was used to analyze the data through iterative development of a coding framework and identification of themes.

Results

Medical students demonstrated simultaneously positive and negative attitudes. Students reported minimal exposure to self-harm through the formal curriculum and being exposed to negative attitudes exhibited by healthcare professionals through the informal curriculum. Students felt that self-harm was not as important as other subjects competing for their attention in their curriculum. Many students were discouraged by healthcare staff from seeing people who self-harm, in particular on psychiatry placements. The hidden curriculum may be encouraging negative attitudes toward people who self-harm; students learn that self-harm is “not important.”

Conclusions

Findings from this study identify how the curriculum might influence the development of negative attitudes toward self-harm. Students would benefit from being encouraged to interact with people who self-harm and then having the opportunity to discuss the emotions these interactions create.

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Acknowledgments

Many thanks to Rola Ajjawi for her supervision, patience, and never-ending help. Many thanks to Rachel Isba who supported this research from design to recruitment and proof reading. Thanks to staff at Lancaster Medical School, and of course our sincere thanks to the medical students who gave up their time to participate in this research.

Funding

A.J. was given a grant by ASME (Association for the Study of Medical Education) through the small grants scheme.

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  1. Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, Chorley, Lancashire, UK

    Adam B. Joiner & Christina Kaewchaluay

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  1. Adam B. Joiner
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  2. Christina Kaewchaluay
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Correspondence to Adam B. Joiner.

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Joiner, A.B., Kaewchaluay, C. Medical Students’ Attitudes toward Self-harm, and Curricular Influences on Attitude Development. Acad Psychiatry 46, 194–201 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-021-01436-9

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