@article{ref1,
title="The punished self, the unknown self, and the harmed self - toward a more nuanced understanding of self-harm among adolescent girls",
journal="Frontiers in psychology",
year="2021",
author="Stänicke, Line Indrevoll",
volume="12",
number="",
pages="e543303-e543303",
abstract="Self-harm among adolescents, mostly girls, has increased in the last years. Self-harm is associated with mental illness and the risk of suicide. This qualitative study aims to explore the lived experience of self-harm as it is related to everyday life and challenges among adolescents. Nineteen girls (13-18 years of age) in a clinical population (strategic selection) participated in personal interviews analyzed by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to capture how they made meaning of self-harm and essential features of experiencing self-harm. Adult persons with the first-hand experience of self-harm were included in the research analysis. Data-analysis resulted in three superordinate themes which all speak about ways to handle inner pain and vulnerability: 1. &quot;I deserve pain,&quot; 2. &quot;I don't want to feel anything,&quot; and 3. &quot;I'm harmed, and no one cares.&quot; Each superordinate theme included four main themes characterizing essential features of difficult experiences during self-harm, the purpose of the action, self-descriptions, and the role of others during self-harm. The three superordinate themes are discussed as emerging self-representations - &quot;the punished self,&quot; &quot;the unknown self,&quot; and &quot;the harmed self&quot; - during the transitional age of adolescence. This article argues that subjective personal data on self-harm related to adolescents' everyday lives may indicate diversity in the capacity to integrate difficult needs, feelings, and traumatic experiences as part of the self. This knowledge may bring a nuanced understanding of self-harm in adolescence, enhance self-understanding and treatment motivation, and inform clinical adjustment.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1664-1078",
doi="10.3389/fpsyg.2021.543303",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.543303"
}