title: Use of a safe kit to decrease self-injury among adolescent inpatients: a pilot study.
abstract: A quasi-experimental pilot study was conducted via a convenience sample of 39 adolescents with a recent history of self-injury who were admitted to an inpatient psychiatric unit. It was postulated that the use of a safe kit would decrease the urge to self-injure during the participant's hospital stay. Participants were screened using the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory 9 and enrolled in the study after informed consent was received. Patients designed a safe kit, filling it with items that may help them refrain from self-injury when the urge was high. At the end of the hospital stay, participants completed a questionnaire evaluating the use of the safe kit in the context of other coping skills used during their admission. Sixty-two percent (n = 23) of participants used the kit as a means of coping with urges to self-injure. Sixty-one percent of those who used the kit strongly agreed that the safe kit reduced the urge to self-injure. Further research is needed with a larger sample to explore the effectiveness of a safe kit in maintaining safety on an adolescent unit.
authors.forename: Stephanie Michelle
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Loveridge
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010343:Patient Admission; D061214:Patient Safety; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital; D012307:Risk Factors; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology*; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires