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Research unpacked: damage limitation
- Authors:
- HESLOP Pauline, MACAULAY Fiona
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, 10(1), January 2010, pp.16-18.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
This article describes a study which looked at how people with learning disabilities who self-injure make sense of their self-injury and what they say would help most. Twenty-five people with learning disabilities and personal experience of self-injury took part in 1 to 4 research interviews between 2006 and 2008. All the participants were able to describe examples of circumstances leading up to their self-injury. These included external factors over which the participant had little control such as not being listened to, interpersonal factors such as being bullied, and internal factors caused for example by particular thoughts or memories. The participants identified the feelings they experienced before self-injuring, the most common being angry, sad, depressed, low, frustrated, or wound up. Over three-quarters of the participants considered that having someone to talk to who would listen to them would help, and also wanted someone to help look after their injuries. Being encouraged not to self-injure was considered helpful by some and unhelpful by others. The article concludes that the results challenge existing practice which considers that nothing can be done, and indicate the need to work with each person individually to help them use coping strategies. Creating conditions where people with learning disabilities have choice and control over their lives is also important.
Hidden pain?: people with learning disabilities who hurt themselves
- Authors:
- HESLOP Pauline, MACAULAY Fiona
- Publisher:
- Bristol Crisis Service for Women
- Publication year:
- 2009
- Pagination:
- 4p.
- Place of publication:
- Bristol
This document is an easy read summary which provides the key findings from a research project which aimed to obtain the views of people with learning disabilities about their self-injury. It is based on interviews of 25 people with learning disabilities and personal experience of self-injury. The key findings of the project are described, including why people hurt themselves and the circumstances leading up to their self-injury, and how people try to stop hurting themselves and the support they need to do this. Other resources for people with learning disabilities who hurt themselves are listed.
Hidden pain?: self-injury and people with learning disabilities
- Authors:
- HESLOP Pauline, MACAULAY Fiona
- Publisher:
- Bristol Crisis Service for Women
- Publication year:
- 2009
- Pagination:
- 116p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Bristol
This report presents the findings from a 3-year research project which aimed to obtain the views of people with learning disabilities about their self-injury. It is based on the views of 25 people with learning disabilities and personal experience of self-injury who took part in up to 4 research interviews each. The people with learning disabilities were aged between 14 and 65 and lived in the United Kingdom in a variety of different living arrangements. In addition, interviews were also conducted with 15 family members and 33 professionals. The most common types of self-injury were found to be scratching, cutting their skin and hitting themselves. Half of the participants reported engaging in these behaviours. The next most frequently reported types of self-injury were self-biting, taking an overdose and hitting out at something else such as a wall or hard object. All but 5 of the participants engaged in more than one type of self-injury. This report covers: people with learning disabilities’ experiences of self-injury; circumstances leading up to their self-injury; their feelings before self-injuring; how they try to stop themselves self-injuring; the circumstances for people with learning disabilities after self-injuring; what they consider to be helpful and less helpful forms of support; family members and professionals’ views about self-injury; and the impact on family members and professionals of supporting a person with learning disabilities who self-injures.
Hidden pain?: self-injury and people with learning disabilities: summary of findings
- Authors:
- HESLOP Pauline, MACAULEY Fiona
- Publisher:
- Bristol Crisis Service for Women
- Publication year:
- 2009
- Pagination:
- 4p.
- Place of publication:
- Bristol
This summary reports the key findings from a 3-year research project which aimed to obtain the views of people with learning disabilities about their self-injury. It is based on the views of 25 people with learning disabilities and personal experience of self-injury who took part in up to 4 research interviews each. The people with learning disabilities were aged between 14 and 65 and lived in the United Kingdom in a variety of different living arrangements. In addition, interviews were also conducted with 15 family members and 33 professionals. The most common types of self-injury were found to be scratching, cutting their skin and hitting themselves. Half of the participants reported engaging in these behaviours. The next most frequently reported types of self-injury were self-biting, taking an overdose and hitting out at something else such as a wall or hard object. All but 5 of the participants engaged in more than one type of self-injury. This summary provides an overview of the key findings of the project, including the circumstances and feelings leading up to self-injury and what are considered to be helpful forms of support. Recommendations for the care of people with learning disabilities to address their self-injury are provided.
Supporting people with learning disabilities who self-injure
- Author:
- HESLOP Pauline
- Journal article citation:
- Tizard Learning Disability Review, 16(1), January 2011, pp.5-15.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Despite large amounts of research conducted on self-injury in people with learning disabilities, little has addressed the perspectives of those with disabilities, and what they view as most helpful. This article, citing results from the Hidden Pain project which examined the views of those with learning disabilities on their self-injury, reports on the support that people with learning disabilities who self-injure say they have found, or would find, helpful in relation to their self-injury. Themes that emerged from people with learning disabilities, including those who use little or no verbal communication, is that they want opportunities to communicate their feelings and to be listened to. The paper concluded that being open to listening and developing one's own communication skills was essential for supporters of people with learning disabilities who self-injure to help this group.
Understanding and working with people with learning disabilities who self-injure
- Authors:
- HESLOP Pauline, LOVELL Andrew, (eds.)
- Publisher:
- Jessica Kingsley
- Publication year:
- 2012
- Pagination:
- 160p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The aim of this book is to provide information and resources for those supporting people with learning disabilities who self-injure, to help them to provide appropriately individualised care. It is intended as a resource for social workers, psychologists, counsellors, learning support workers, nurses and social and health care students. It synthesises behavioural and psychological approaches to understanding self-injury and draws on psychoanalytic and social theory to provide practical guidelines for effective support. It discusses motivations for self-injury and suggests person-centred techniques that encourage communication and recovery, using case examples. It covers a range of specific needs, including people with autism who self-injure, and explores the views of people with learning disabilities and their families about what has worked best and why.