Background: At least half of all young people who die by suicide have previously self-harmed and most of those who self-harm will not seek help from health services for self-harming behaviours. By default, schools, colleges and universities necessarily play a key role in identifying those who self-harm and supporting them to access help.
Methods: We conducted a systematic review (PROSPERO ID: CRD42021243692) of five databases (Medline, PsycINFO, ASSIA, ERIC and BEI) for quantitative studies evaluating interventions to reduce self-harm among students in schools, colleges and universities.
Results: We identified six eligible studies that reported interventions. Two interventions used mindfulness-based approaches and the remaining four interventions focused on in-classroom education. Three interventions reported a significant reduction in self-harm, all three used in-classroom education. Of the six studies, one study was rated methodologically moderate, while the remaining five were weak.
Conclusion: In summary, the evidence base is limited in size and quality. Most current interventions to address self-harm in schools focus on training staff in awareness, with a significant gap in direct support for students.
Keywords: Self-harm; adolescence; intervention; mental health; school.
© 2022 The Authors. Child and Adolescent Mental Health published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.