JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The increasing prevalence of self-harm among adolescents is a significant public health concern. School staff are often the first professionals to notice when a young person is self-harming and are in a unique position to intervene and offer support. However, research indicates that many school staff feel ill-equipped and lack confidence in how to respond. Negative or dismissive responses may discourage young people from seeking further help. There is an urgent need for targeted training interventions to equip school staff with the skills and knowledge necessary to support students who self-harm.

Objective:

To coproduce a self-harm awareness e-learning module for school staff in the UK.

Methods:

The e-learning module design and development was guided by a person-based approach over 3 participatory design cycles: (1) coproduction sessions with experts in mental health, self-harm and schools-based training; (2) workshops with school staff to co-produce the e-learning module components and to explore their views about supporting students who self-harm; and (3) user testing of the prototype and focus groups with school staff to explore acceptability and feasibility. Data were thematically analyzed using the framework method.

Results:

Training content, videos and quizzes were developed in collaboration with a panel of experts. Coproduction workshops with school staff informed the prototype module design, structure and scripts for the training content and filmed scenarios, as well as highlighting potential barriers and facilitators to implementation. User testing of the prototype provided high usability ratings demonstrating high levels of acceptability. Analysis of the qualitative user testing data generated 4 themes: (1) Usability; (2) Content and design; (3) Feasibility; and (4) Views about how training improved knowledge and confidence.

Conclusions:

The SORTS e-learning module was developed to enhance school staff’s knowledge and confidence in responding to self-harm. It was created using a user-centered design and a person-based approach and underpinned by psychological theory. Initial findings indicate that the training is acceptable and feasible. Further research will involve a mixed methods pilot feasibility study to assess the effectiveness of the program. This will provide the necessary evidence for a large-scale roll out to schools.