A Feasibility Study to Evaluate Self-Harm Group in Inpatient Settings

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The current research is being undertaken as part of a professional doctorate in clinical psychology, which aims to evaluate the feasibility of a group programme to address self-harm within 23 days, to provide evidence for a controlled trial. The intervention will include four group sessions conducted over 2 weeks, based on Dialectical Behavioural Therapy. Specifically the aims are to determine 1) means and a standard deviation for two pre and post treatment outcome measures in order to estimate sample size for the main study, 2) the need for an inpatient intervention for self-harm measured by number of participants eligible and accepting of the treatment, 3) retention of participants for 4 groups given the predicted short stays of patients on wards, and 4) the acceptability of the research process for this client group through feedback.

Official Title
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A Feasibility Study to Evaluate Self-Harm Group in Inpatient Settings

Conditions
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Self-Injurious Behavior

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) based skills groups


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Participants will be screened by their allocated clinician and included if they are aged between 18-65 admitted to hospital have a history of or engaged in at least one episode of self-harm, iv) have capacity to understand the information sheet. Exclusion Criteria: Participants will be screened by clinicians and they will exclude people if i) they are Non-English speakers (due to translation costs) they lack the capacity to give informed consent (assessed by their key clinician) their symptoms prevent them from concentrating for an hour at a time (i.e. severe thought disorder), and therefore not benefiting from the group (assessed by their key clinician)

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 65 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Other
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) skills group<br>Four group sessions, based on DBT, over two weeks, with a group of four to eight participants in attendance located on the hospital ward where the participant is a patient. | Behavioral: Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) based skills groups<br>* Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) involves skills that help people manage their emotions and tolerate distress. This therapy is found effective in reducing self-harm behaviour for outpatients with Borderline Personality Disorder.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury (ISAS) | ISAS is a self-report measure designed to assess the function and frequency of deliberate self-harm. It will be administered pre- and post-intervention. | 23 days | 
| The Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) | The DTS consists of 15 items, which measure a person's appraisal of their emotional distress, their ability to tolerate this distress and any regulation efforts to alleviate it. It will be administered pre- and post-intervention. | 23 days |