Discussing research into child mental health in Wales, Eluned Parrott AM said, “We’re the only country in Britain that has not conducted a prevalence study of self-harming behaviours in children and young people. That is something we absolutely must do”.
Eluned also acknowledged the importance of GW4’s new research network exploring prevalence of suicide and self-harm in children and young people.
She said, “The network is hoping to plug some of those gaps in knowledge, and we desperately need that. There is evidence that self-harm is seriously under-reported. There is evidence that self-harm behaviours, whether they be obvious self-harm, such as deliberately injuring oneself, or something perhaps more subtle, like smoking or destructive drinking behaviours…need to be taken seriously”.
The research network will explore the theme of suicide and self-harm in children and young people, with a specific focus on the development and evaluation of complex interventions within educational settings.
