Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Adolescents: A Systematic Review on Prevention and Intervention Programmes.
Itziar Escofet-Colet, Lina Cristina Casadó-Marín, Lydia Orós-Navas and 1 others
PMID 41055224WHAT IT FOUND
Two included programmes reported reduced self-injury or improved emotional regulation in adolescent observational studies, but evidence was limited and neither was nurse-led.
Risk factors were inconsistent.
Key findings
01The peer-to-peer prevention study reported no new NSSI occurrences and a significant improvement in emotional regulation.
02The Happyles KRAS study reported a significant reduction in NSSI among adolescents with a history of NSSI.
03Neither prevention programme was implemented by nurses.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review included only observational studies and excluded experimental studies, protocols and reviews, so it cannot establish whether programmes caused the reported changes. Only 13 studies were included, and only two examined prevention programmes; one examined intervention content through professionals' views. The review was not prospectively registered in PROSPERO and used no formal risk-of-bias assessment, only STROBE quality scores. Included studies were heterogeneous: students, clinical samples, family surveys, CAMHS professionals and child-welfare follow-up, across nine countries, with different outcomes and measures. Neither prevention programme was delivered by nurses, so the review does not test nurse-led delivery. The self-help kit findings are 251 professionals' opinions about desired contents, not evidence that kits reduce NSSI. The peer-to-peer prevention study had no control group. Its changes cannot be attributed only to the programme. Sleep findings were inconsistent across studies.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that nurse-led prevention programmes reduce adolescent NSSI. None of the included prevention programmes were implemented by nurses, and the self-help kit study reported CAMHS professionals' views, not patient outcomes.