@article{ref1,
title="Perceptions of student self-injury: A survey of school and college teachers in an urban city in India",
journal="Journal of Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health",
year="2017",
author="Bhola, P. and Ravishankar, A.",
volume="13",
number="2",
pages="107-134",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Adolescents and young adults form a high-risk group for non-suicidal selfinjury but these behaviours are often inadequately understood. Aims: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to explore the perceptions of student self-injury, among school and college teachers in an urban city in India. <br><br>METHODS: A 62-item measure, Teacher Awareness and Understanding about Self-injury Survey Questionnaire, was completed by 152 teachers from high school, pre-university college and undergraduate college levels, drawn from 21 private and government educational institutions. This assessed teachers' perceptions about the rates, methods, characteristics and functions of student self-injury, their self-reported knowledge and emotional reactions, and their views about appropriate help-seeking options and responses. <br><br>RESULTS: The results indicated underestimation of the rates of student self-injury by a large proportion of teachers, although a majority felt that these behaviours were on the rise. Self-injurious acts were largely viewed as warning signs of mental illness and most strongly seen as reflecting a depressive illness. There were divergent perceptions about the relationship between self-injurious behaviours and suicide. The belief in the 'attention-seeking' function of self-injurious acts was prominent, with the emotion regulation function being less frequently endorsed. <br><br>RESULTS indicated that there were some difficult emotional reactions and knowledge gaps in the understanding of student self-injury. There were significant associations between teachers' reports of knowledge about self-injurious behavior, the ease of identification of self-injury and the sense of confidence in responding to an injuring student. <br><br>CONCLUSION: The findings have implications for gatekeeper training, counselling services and referral pathways in educational institutions. © 2017, Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health. All rights reserved.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0973-1342",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}