Special Issue

Lived Experience Views of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury – Call for Papers

Qualitative Research in Medicine and Healthcare invites original manuscripts and reviews focused on lived experience views of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). NSSI is a relatively common behavior, reported by approximately 1 in 5 adolescents and young people, and approximately 5% of adults. Given it is usually used as a means of coping, it is not surprising that NSSI is associated with a range of psychological morbidities, interpersonal difficulties, and subsequent suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Because of these adverse outcomes, much research has focused on identifying risk and protective factors, with a view to preventing or limiting NSSI.

More recently there have been moves to adopt a person-centered approach to understanding and addressing NSSI. This shift moves away from traditional studies of risk and protective factors and moves towards understanding the day-to-day experience of someone who self-injures. Here, the focus has been on issues such as the meaning of recovery, the experience of stigma, factors that might influence whether someone chooses to disclose their NSSI and to whom, and the meaning of any scarring that may result from NSSI. In understanding these experiences, we must prioritize the voices of individuals with lived experience.

The co-editors for this special issue seek qualitative papers that highlight the voices of people with lived experience of NSSI. Papers can include research studies and literature reviews that describe how people with a history of NSSI view their experience.

Types of Submissions

• Original Articles (9000 words max, abstract 250 words max, 35 references, five tables and/or figures). In general, this kind of publication should be divided into an Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions and References, but feel free to give these sections a thematic title. A maximum of 10 authors is permitted and additional authors should be listed in an ad hoc Appendix.
• Literature Reviews (4000 words max, abstract 180 words max, minimum 40 references, 3/5 tables and/or figures). They should be introduced by a general summary of content in the form of an Abstract. Following a short introduction, putting the study into context and defining the aim, reviews will concentrate on the most recent developments in the field. A review should clearly describe the search strategy followed (key words, inclusion, exclusion criteria, search engines, etc.). No particular format is required; headings should be used to designate the major divisions of the paper.

The type of submission should be included in the title page. All manuscripts must explicitly state IRB approval, including approval number. Click here for more information about manuscript preparation.

Deadline for submission: 3rd May 2024.

Accepted papers will be published online as soon as they have been formatted. As such, we encourage authors to submit manuscripts for review before this deadline.

About the co-editors

Stephen P. Lewis’s research draws on qualitative and participatory approaches to understand online self-injury communication, shed light on experiences relevant to self-injury (e.g., scarring, disclosure, stigma), foster self-injury recovery and resilience, and provide advocacy through anti-stigma initiatives. He is past president of the International Society for the Study of Self-injury and co-founder and co-director of Self-injury Outreach and Support (sioutreach.org). He is also co-author of the book, Understanding Self-injury: A Person-Centred Approach published by the Oxford University Press.

Professor Penelope Hasking’s work focuses on mental health in adolescents and young adults. Her primary interests are in the social and cognitive factors that initiate and maintain non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among youth. She is also interested in the experience of self-injury, including relatively under-studied areas such as the meaning of recovery, ambivalence, stigma, disclosure experiences, and impacts of scarring. She is past president of the International Society for the Study of Self-Injury. She is also co-author of the book, Understanding Self-injury: A Person-Centred Approach published by the Oxford University Press.

Please send questions with the subject NSSI – QRMH to: stephen.lewis@uoguelph.ca and penelope.hasking@curtin.edu.au