Using Implementation Intentions to Reduce Self-harm

Background and study aims The purpose of this study is to explore whether a brief intervention based on psychological theory can help people to avoid self-harming. The intervention is the Volitional Help Sheet (VHS), or "IF-THEN" plans, which will be tested in the context of trying to reduce self-harm. An example of an "IF-THEN" plan is "If I feel the urge to self-harm when I want to get relief from a terrible state of mind, Then I will do something else instead of self-harming". IF-THEN plans work by helping people to link a critical situation ("If I am tempted to self-harm when I want to get some attention"), to an appropriate response ("Then I will do something else instead of self-harming").

Implementation intentions (i.e., making if-then plans) are effective at changing behaviour. The investigators have had previous success in using the VHS to reduce self-harm in people recently admitted to hospital for self-harm. The next stage of the research is to explore whether this intervention is acceptable and effective in the population more generally.

Research shows that if people can spot situations in which they may be tempted to self-harm and identify ways of overcoming those situations, they are much more likely to be successful in avoiding self-harming.

Who can participate? Adults aged over 18 years of age, have a history of self-harm, and have good verbal and written understanding of English What does the study involve? The research will involve two phases which aim to examine the acceptability and effectiveness of a brief psychological intervention to reduce self-harm.

Phase 1 Phase 1 involves a wide scale roll out of the VHS, to test the effectiveness of the VHS in reducing self-harm, and to gather feedback about the acceptability of the intervention. YouGov (a survey panel company) will collect the data on behalf of the research team over a period of 6 months (including a baseline and six-month follow-up), and store the data on a secure server, before sending to the research team. The research team at the University of Manchester will conduct and analyse the data. A sample of 1,000 people will take part in Phase 1 and will be randomly allocated to receive either the Volitional Help Sheet (intervention group; to make links between situations and solutions), or a control group (using the same intervention, but for a different behaviour [increasing physical activity]).