Nonsuicidal Self‐Injury among Adolescents: A Training Priority for Primary Care Providers

Abstract

Primary care providers were surveyed to determine how prepared they feel to address nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents, their interest in training on NSSI, and factors associated with routinely asking about NSSI when providing health supervision. Participants included family medicine physicians (n=260), pediatricians (n=127), family nurse practitioners (n=96), and pediatric nurse practitioners (n=54). Almost 50% felt unprepared to address NSSI, and over 70% wanted training in this area. Overall, relative to other areas of mental health care, clinicians felt least prepared to address and wanted more training on NSSI. Just 27% reported they routinely inquired about NSSI during health supervision. Factors associated with routinely asking about NSSI were identifying as female (OR=2.37; 95% CI=1.25-4.49), feeling better prepared to address NSSI (OR=1.51; 95% CI=1.04-2.20), and more frequently using a psychosocial interview to identify adolescents in distress (OR=1.23; 95% CI=1.02-1.48). Teaching clinicians to assess NSSI within a psychosocial interview may increase screening for and identification of the behavior among adolescents in primary care.