September saw the publication of the results of a survey of 10,000 secondary school pupils. The OxWell School Survey is a repeated cross-sectional, self-report survey on children and adolescents’ mental health and well-being, commencing in 2019. The 2020 survey was completed during June-July either on school premises or from home due to partial school closures during the first COVID-19 UK national lockdown.
This study showed that:
One in six adolescents experienced intense feelings of loneliness in the early stages of the pandemic, with one in three feeling lonelier than before ·
One in 15 adolescents had self-harmed during the first lockdown
Self-harm was twice as common in adolescents who report experiencing intense loneliness, and feeling lonelier than before lockdown increased the risk of self-harm during lockdown
The findings highlight the importance of addressing both loneliness and self-harm in adolescent school pupils as part of an effort to improve their well-being and reduce their risk of self-harm. It is also necessary to continue to monitor loneliness and self-harm in young people in the community in the longer term, as the pandemic and its resultant social and financial impacts unfold. Understanding how loneliness and self-harm may co-vary can be important for future self-harm reduction strategies in young persons.
The University of Nottingham are inviting professionals working across different settings with young people who have self-harmed to share their views on the CaTS-app – which aims to improve shared understanding and assessment of self-harm between young people and professionals.
Two of our wonderful team members, Dani and Emma, lead our Wellbeing Programme for the internal Storm Skills Training team. They’re passionate and committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our team and are invested in promoting a happy and supportive environment.
Since getting the go ahead from our CEO Bianca and our Board, they have introduced and grown a programme which has gone from strength to strength. We are so proud and thankful to them for developing this idea.
In this piece Dani and Emma tell us how it all began, what they’ve learned, and what their plans are for the future.
Subscribe to receive our quarterly newsletter and other occasional updates straight to your inbox.
© 2020 STORM® Skills Training CIC (Company number 07726889)
