The Quest for Meaning Around Self-Injurious and Suicidal Acts: A Qualitative Study Among Adolescent Girls
Introduction: Suicide and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) are major problems in adolescent psychiatry and share numerous clinical characteristics. The principal objective of this study is to describe the subjective experience of adolescent girls and young women who present NSSI and/or suicidal behav...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2019-04-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00190/full |
| _version_ | 1818903668077887488 |
|---|---|
| author | Salomé Grandclerc Salomé Grandclerc Salomé Grandclerc Solene Spiers Solene Spiers Solene Spiers Michel Spodenkiewicz Michel Spodenkiewicz Michel Spodenkiewicz Marie Rose Moro Marie Rose Moro Marie Rose Moro Jonathan Lachal Jonathan Lachal Jonathan Lachal |
| author_facet | Salomé Grandclerc Salomé Grandclerc Salomé Grandclerc Solene Spiers Solene Spiers Solene Spiers Michel Spodenkiewicz Michel Spodenkiewicz Michel Spodenkiewicz Marie Rose Moro Marie Rose Moro Marie Rose Moro Jonathan Lachal Jonathan Lachal Jonathan Lachal |
| author_sort | Salomé Grandclerc |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: Suicide and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) are major problems in adolescent psychiatry and share numerous clinical characteristics. The principal objective of this study is to describe the subjective experience of adolescent girls and young women who present NSSI and/or suicidal behaviors and to determine the common aspects and the specificities of each experience.Method: This exploratory study is based on a procedure that is qualitative, phenomenological, and inductive. The data were collected from two semi-structured interviews each of 18 girls and young women aged 12–21 years, who were receiving care from a psychiatrist specializing in adolescents and who at least once had harmed themselves by NSSI or attempted suicide, or both. The thematic data analysis was performed by applying the methods of interpretative phenomenological analysis.Results: The results are described around four superordinate themes: relationships with the self, with others/otherness, with the body, and with death; they are then subdivided into 13 themes. Several themes appeared common to both types of behavior, especially the relational dimension of self-harming acts. The process of separation-individuation seems complex for these youth.Conclusion: The results underline the relational aspects of the self-harming behavior (NSSI or suicidal) among adolescent girls. These aspects also appear to be expressed in the family sphere, the social sphere, in contact with peers, and also at a societal level when the community no longer addresses adolescents' difficulties. When the process of subjectification does not appear to reach completion, self-aggressive behavior is seen as an ultimate attempt to regain a feeling of autonomy. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T20:55:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-97a944813459435a905789c18995c2d5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T20:55:12Z |
| publishDate | 2019-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-97a944813459435a905789c18995c2d52022-12-21T20:05:59ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402019-04-011010.3389/fpsyt.2019.00190421271The Quest for Meaning Around Self-Injurious and Suicidal Acts: A Qualitative Study Among Adolescent GirlsSalomé Grandclerc0Salomé Grandclerc1Salomé Grandclerc2Solene Spiers3Solene Spiers4Solene Spiers5Michel Spodenkiewicz6Michel Spodenkiewicz7Michel Spodenkiewicz8Marie Rose Moro9Marie Rose Moro10Marie Rose Moro11Jonathan Lachal12Jonathan Lachal13Jonathan Lachal14Maison de Solenn, MDA Cochin, AP-HP, Paris, FranceUniversité Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, FranceCESP, Fac. de Médecine - Univ. Paris-Sud, Fac. de Médecine - UVSQ, INSERM, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, FranceService de Pédopsychiatrie, CHU de Caen, Caen, FranceUFR de Médecine, Université Caen Normandie, Caen, FranceUniversité Paris 13, Villetanneuse, FranceCESP, Fac. de Médecine - Univ. Paris-Sud, Fac. de Médecine - UVSQ, INSERM, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, FrancePôle de Santé Mentale, CHU Sud Réunion, Saint-Pierre, FranceCEPOI EA 7388, UFR Santé, Université de la Réunion, Saint-Pierre, FranceMaison de Solenn, MDA Cochin, AP-HP, Paris, FranceUniversité Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, FranceCESP, Fac. de Médecine - Univ. Paris-Sud, Fac. de Médecine - UVSQ, INSERM, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, FranceMaison de Solenn, MDA Cochin, AP-HP, Paris, FranceUniversité Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, FranceCESP, Fac. de Médecine - Univ. Paris-Sud, Fac. de Médecine - UVSQ, INSERM, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, FranceIntroduction: Suicide and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) are major problems in adolescent psychiatry and share numerous clinical characteristics. The principal objective of this study is to describe the subjective experience of adolescent girls and young women who present NSSI and/or suicidal behaviors and to determine the common aspects and the specificities of each experience.Method: This exploratory study is based on a procedure that is qualitative, phenomenological, and inductive. The data were collected from two semi-structured interviews each of 18 girls and young women aged 12–21 years, who were receiving care from a psychiatrist specializing in adolescents and who at least once had harmed themselves by NSSI or attempted suicide, or both. The thematic data analysis was performed by applying the methods of interpretative phenomenological analysis.Results: The results are described around four superordinate themes: relationships with the self, with others/otherness, with the body, and with death; they are then subdivided into 13 themes. Several themes appeared common to both types of behavior, especially the relational dimension of self-harming acts. The process of separation-individuation seems complex for these youth.Conclusion: The results underline the relational aspects of the self-harming behavior (NSSI or suicidal) among adolescent girls. These aspects also appear to be expressed in the family sphere, the social sphere, in contact with peers, and also at a societal level when the community no longer addresses adolescents' difficulties. When the process of subjectification does not appear to reach completion, self-aggressive behavior is seen as an ultimate attempt to regain a feeling of autonomy.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00190/fullNSSIsuicidal behaviorsuicideself-injuryadolescentqualitative study |
| spellingShingle | Salomé Grandclerc Salomé Grandclerc Salomé Grandclerc Solene Spiers Solene Spiers Solene Spiers Michel Spodenkiewicz Michel Spodenkiewicz Michel Spodenkiewicz Marie Rose Moro Marie Rose Moro Marie Rose Moro Jonathan Lachal Jonathan Lachal Jonathan Lachal The Quest for Meaning Around Self-Injurious and Suicidal Acts: A Qualitative Study Among Adolescent Girls Frontiers in Psychiatry NSSI suicidal behavior suicide self-injury adolescent qualitative study |
| title | The Quest for Meaning Around Self-Injurious and Suicidal Acts: A Qualitative Study Among Adolescent Girls |
| title_full | The Quest for Meaning Around Self-Injurious and Suicidal Acts: A Qualitative Study Among Adolescent Girls |
| title_fullStr | The Quest for Meaning Around Self-Injurious and Suicidal Acts: A Qualitative Study Among Adolescent Girls |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Quest for Meaning Around Self-Injurious and Suicidal Acts: A Qualitative Study Among Adolescent Girls |
| title_short | The Quest for Meaning Around Self-Injurious and Suicidal Acts: A Qualitative Study Among Adolescent Girls |
| title_sort | quest for meaning around self injurious and suicidal acts a qualitative study among adolescent girls |
| topic | NSSI suicidal behavior suicide self-injury adolescent qualitative study |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00190/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT salomegrandclerc thequestformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT salomegrandclerc thequestformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT salomegrandclerc thequestformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT solenespiers thequestformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT solenespiers thequestformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT solenespiers thequestformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT michelspodenkiewicz thequestformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT michelspodenkiewicz thequestformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT michelspodenkiewicz thequestformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT marierosemoro thequestformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT marierosemoro thequestformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT marierosemoro thequestformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT jonathanlachal thequestformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT jonathanlachal thequestformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT jonathanlachal thequestformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT salomegrandclerc questformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT salomegrandclerc questformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT salomegrandclerc questformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT solenespiers questformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT solenespiers questformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT solenespiers questformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT michelspodenkiewicz questformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT michelspodenkiewicz questformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT michelspodenkiewicz questformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT marierosemoro questformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT marierosemoro questformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT marierosemoro questformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT jonathanlachal questformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT jonathanlachal questformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls AT jonathanlachal questformeaningaroundselfinjuriousandsuicidalactsaqualitativestudyamongadolescentgirls |