Interpersonal factors influencing self-injury in people with learning disabilities : expressed emotion and attributions in residential care staff

The portfolio has three parts: a systematic literature review, an empirical study and a set of Appendices.Part one is a systematic literature review entitled ‘The Experiences of People with Mild-Moderate Learning Disabilities who Self-Injure: A Critical Review,’ in which empirical literature relating to the experiences of people with mild-moderate learning disabilities who self-injure is reviewed and critically evaluated. It aims to present an understanding of why people with learning disabilities self-injure, and what they find useful from services in relation to their self-injury.Part two is an empirical paper entitled ‘Expressed Emotion and Attributions in relation to Self-Injury in People with Learning Disabilities,’ which used quantitative methodologies to explore whether the level of expressed emotion in residential staff affects their perceptions of severity of self-injury in people with mild-moderate learning disabilities, and whether the staffs’ attributions also contribute to the perceived severity of self-injury. To achieve this, adult staff working in residential homes completed measures of expressed emotion, attributions and perceived severity of self-harm with the main researcher, which were analysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlations and non-parametric statistical tests. The results of this analysis are discussed in relation to current theories on self-injury, as well as the wider social and political context. The clinical implications and methodological limitations are also discussed and areas requiring further research are identified.Part three comprises of Appendices relating to the research, including a reflective statement on the process of conducting the research