Risk factors for self-harm and suicidal ideation and behaviour in adolescents and young adults: a protocol for an umbrella review of systematic reviews [version 1; peer review: 2 approved with reservations]

Background:There are many primary studies on the risk and protective factors for self-harm and suicidal ideation and/or behaviour in the adolescent and young adult (AYA) age group. Moreover, there have been many systematic reviews on these primary studies. Some of these focus on a specific population, a geographic area, a specific risk factor or a socioeconomic group, whereas others are more general in their approach. An umbrella review of these systematic reviews is an appropriate design to synthesise the available research regarding the main risks and protective factors for self-harm and suicidal ideation and/or behaviour in AYAs and to establish the relative strength of the associations of these risk and protective factors. Methods and analysis: The PRISMA-P checklist was used for this protocol. The databases to be used for this umbrella review will be Ovid Medline, Embase, APA PsycInfo, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CINAHL, and Scopus. Systematic reviews included will date as far back as the year 2010 and up to the present so as to ensure that the evidence is contemporary and up-to-date. Two authors, including the first author, will independently screen the results for inclusion. The AMSTAR 2 checklist will be used for the quality assessment process and the overall strength of the body of evidence will be assessed using the GRADE tool.