A meta ethnographical review of the barriers which children and young adults from ethnic minority backgrounds face when seeking help for self-harm in the UK

Self-harm among UK children from ethnic minority backgrounds is rising. This review, which takes a meta-ethnographic approach, aims to identify barriers to help-seeking in these groups, synthesising the current qualitative evidence in this field.

Screening identified 5 papers meeting inclusion criteria, which together underwent reciprocal analysis and line of argument synthesis.

Findings revealed three key themes that reduced help-seeking within these groups: (1) the stigmatisation of self-harm, (2) an upbringing which undervalues disclosure, and (3) a misunderstanding of support services. These acted through one of three main pathways: (1) children not wanting help, (2) children wanting help but being unsure of how to access it, and (3) children getting help but not effectively engaging with it.

This paper presents a matrix framework through which the barriers to help-seeking for UK minority ethnic groups can be viewed. While effectively synthesising the views of the identified papers, these findings are based on a small number of studies, and thus certain elements may require further development.