TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2020//
TI  - Discovering one's own way: adolescent girls' different pathways into and out of self-harm
JO  - Journal of adolescent research
A1  - Stänicke, Line Indrevoll
A1  - Haavind, Hanne
A1  - Rø, Frida Gullestad
A1  - Gullestad, Siri Erika
SP  - 605
EP  - 634
VL  - 35
IS  - 5
N2  - Self-harm is associated with mental illness and suicide risk. The present study aims to increase knowledge of adolescent girls' pathways into and out of self-harm. The participants were 19 girls, 13 to 18 years of age, who were strategically selected from an outpatient care unit. A naturalistic multiple case study was done with personal interviews. The interviews were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, and the capacity for "mentalization"--representation of behavior in terms of mental states--was measured with the Reflective Functioning Scale. The analysis of the topic "beginning self-harm" resulted in two meta-themes: (a) beginning self-harm as a way to handle difficult feelings and relational problems and (b) becoming influenced by peers to experiment with self-harm. The analysis of the topic "quitting self-harm" resulted in three meta-themes: (a) ambivalence toward help, treatment, and ending self-harm; (b) finding one's own way of quitting self-harm; and (c) exploring self-harm together with the therapist. Three case stories illustrate variations in trajectories of change and capacity for mentalization. The findings suggest that self-harm may be a way of handling developmental challenges in autonomy and identity formation during adolescence. Adolescents need an opportunity to discover their own way of quitting self-harm. Variations in mentalization may provide for different pathways.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0743-5584
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0743558419883360
ID  - ref1
ER  -