Developing a Smartphone-based App to Reduce Self-harm for CAMHS-treated Adolescents
Self-harm
About this trial
This is an interventional prevention trial for Self-harm focused on measuring self-harm, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, smartphone app, volitional help sheet, implementation intentions, if-then plans
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Adolescents aged between 12-18, who have been admitted to acute mental health in the past year or diagnosed with functional mental health problems
Exclusion Criteria:
- Individuals who cannot give informed consent, or whose parent/guardian cannot give informed consent.
- Individuals under the age of 12 years
Sites / Locations
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Arm 3
Experimental
Active Comparator
No Intervention
App-based volitional help sheet (VHS) for self-harm
App-based pencil-and-paper VHS
App with no VHS component
A smartphone-based app version of the adapted VHS for self-harm. Participants read a brief statement designed to encourage them to avoid self-harming ("We want you to plan to avoid self-harming"). Participants are presented with ten 'high risk' situations (temptations). By selecting an appropriate situation, 10 appropriate responses (processes of change) are suggested (see Armitage, 2008). Participants are told that identifying situations in which they were tempted to self-harm and identifying ways to overcome those temptations had been shown to help people change their behaviour. Participants in this condition are asked to form implementation intentions by linking critical situations with appropriate responses by choosing an appropriate response from a drop down menu for each critical situation.
The app will deliver a .pdf file (for printing) worksheet of the VHS for self-harm, with no integration into the app. Participants read a brief statement designed to encourage them to avoid self-harming ("We want you to plan to avoid self-harming"). Participants are presented with a table with two columns and ten rows. Ten 'high risk' situations (temptations) are presented in the left hand column and 10 appropriate responses (processes of change) are presented in the right hand column (see Armitage, 2008). Participants are told that identifying situations in which they were tempted to self-harm and identifying ways to overcome those temptations had been shown to help people change their behaviour. Participants in this condition are asked to form implementation intentions by linking critical situations with appropriate responses by choosing an appropriate response by drawing a line between the situation and response.
An app with no VHS component that collects questionnaire survey data. In this control condition, the app only contains the survey questions and links to helplines contained in the other two conditions. A free text entry box will ask participants to think of important situations where they might self-harm. A second box asks participants to think of alternative plans that they can do instead of self-harming. Participants are not guided to make links between the situations and responses.