School interventions for self-injurious behavior among adolescents: a systematic review and meta-synthesis

Abstract

This study aims to carry out a meta-synthesis on interventions to prevent and address self-injurious behavior among adolescent schoolchildren. A systematic review was carried out in five databases. Interventions were considered any actions carried out constantly to prevent or address self-injurious behavior among adolescents. Features and constructs of the interventions were analyzed according to the theoretical framework of the social concept ‘health-disease’ process. A total of 12 studies were selected, 9 aimed to describe or evaluate interventions specifically related to self-injurious behavior, 1 focused on suicide and 2 were related to mental health. The approaches were focused on the health problem and were focused on health problems and the approaches were structured under conventional care practices and disregarded the possibility of integrative and complementary interventions. The interventions were focused on approaches restricted to the problem (self-injury), on behavior modification, and the cognitive dimensions of individuals through the transmission of information.