This was a small scale exploratory research project using a small sample. This meant that it did not have the statistical power of a more large scale project in regards to inferential statistics. However the project was a valuable piece of exploratory work centred upon the secondary school setting in Wales, due to the following points:
- The project generated a theoretical model of stigma situated upon the secondary school context in Wales. This meant that the project made a contribution to understanding the context more clearly in regards to adolescent self-harm. See the results of the project here: Project results
- It utilised theory (e.g critical realism, process evaluation) that is accepted by the Medical Research Council for use within the exploratory phase of complex intervention (i.e to understand the context to facilitate and inform intervention design).
- It centred upon an important health topic for young people in Wales that currently has many challenges in preventive intervention support and design. This includes a lack of research based in secondary school settings in Wales on this specific topic, which means the context is not fully understood.
- The project was consultative and participatory with research participants, working in partnership with schools and pupils to understand their needs. It was interested in fully understanding what was acceptable and feasible support methods in schools for a whole school preventive intervention approach with adolescent self-harm.
- It utilised an outreach method, actively going into the school settings to complete this research, to address the barriers to research participation for young people, and to attempt to reach the invisible population of adolescent self-harm who do not access public health settings.
Through exploring what pupils and staff thought were the contextual influences upon adolescent self-harm in schools, this gave a clearer understanding of what schools need.
It showed what schools felt were acceptable and feasible support methods for adolescent self-harm: it could be a way forward to help give preventive intervention support in schools for adolescent self-harm.
As such the project was important, continuing to build upon prior research that has taken place through the GW4, and the prior projects the researcher has been part of (see the background context page).
The project helped in the formulation of a theoretical model that can be used as the basis for understanding the school-based context. This can be applied for the purpose of future service design and intervention work for adolescent self-harm in school settings in Wales.
