title: Factors helping adolescents to stop self-cutting: descriptions of 347 adolescents aged 13-18 years.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the factors contributing to the stopping of self-cutting among 13-18-year-old Finnish adolescents from the personal perspective of the adolescents.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Self-cutting is quite common among adolescents. However, adolescents' personal descriptions of what helped them to stop self-cutting have not previously been investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative descriptive design with quantification.
  
  
  METHODS
  The data were collected from 347 participants using structured self-rating questionnaires as a part of a larger research project focusing on the mental well-being of adolescents aged between 13-18 years in Finland. The participants were asked to write their own descriptions of how they had been able to stop self-cutting, if they had done so. The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Frequencies and percentages were calculated in relation to the total number of identified references to factors contributing to the stopping of self-cutting. This enabled the determination of the most important factors helping adolescents to stop self-cutting from their own perspective.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six main themes emerged: factors associated with self-cutting and meanings related to it (n = 173); personal factors (n = 126); factors associated with other people (n = 104); factors associated with care or therapy (n = 18); meanings related to the instruments used to cut (n = 1) and unidentified factors (n = 18).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Factors associated with self-cutting and meanings related to it were the most important factors contributing to the stopping of self-cutting. Personal factors and those associated with other people were also important, while factors associated with care were of less importance in this study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The factors identified in this study could potentially be used in clinical practice to assist other adolescents in stopping their self-cutting.
authors.affiliation: Savo Vocational College Social and Health Services, Kuopio, Finland. marja-liisa.rissanen@sakky.fi
authors.forename: Marja-Liisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Rissanen
authors.forename: Jari
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kylmä
authors.forename: Jukka
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hintikka
authors.forename: Kirsi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Honkalampi
authors.forename: Tommi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tolmunen
authors.forename: Eila
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Laukkanen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000517:prevention & control