Early interventions for self-harm among children and young people in educational and primary-care settings: a scoping review

24/07/2026

AI Summary

Self-harm in children and young people is a major public-health concern; schools are primary delivery sites and primary care is under-represented in intervention research.
Psycho-educational and brief psychotherapeutic interventions in schools show potential, but only four of twelve quantitative studies reported significant reductions in self-harm.
Further multi-site trials with longer follow-up, robust harm monitoring and improved adverse-event reporting are urgently needed, especially within primary-care settings.

TL;DR (AI Generated)

This scoping review mapped and synthesised empirical studies evaluating interventions designed to prevent or reduce self-harm in individuals aged 25 years or younger within educational or general-practice contexts.

Psycho-educational programmes were most common, followed by screening or early-identification approaches, mindfulness or expressive-therapeutic interventions, an integrated service model, professional training, and a digital self-help app.

Evidence indicates potential benefits of psycho-educational and brief psychotherapeutic interventions in schools, but further multi-site trials with longer follow-up and robust harm-monitoring protocols are needed, particularly within primary care.

Basic summary

Cogent Ment Health. 2026 Jul 21;5(1):2683019. doi: 10.1080/28324765.2026.2683019. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

Self-harm among children and young people is a major public-health concern associated with substantially elevated risk of adverse outcomes including suicide. Educational and primary-care settings are frequent points of contact, prompting diverse prevention and early-intervention efforts, yet the scope and effectiveness of these remain unclear. This scoping review mapped and synthesised empirical studies evaluating interventions designed to prevent or reduce self-harm in individuals aged 25 years or younger within educational or general-practice contexts. Following JBI and PRISMA-ScR guidance, seven databases and grey-literature sources were searched to July 2025. Twenty-two studies met inclusion criteria: five randomised controlled trials, five other quantitative evaluations, four mixed-methods studies, seven qualitative enquiries, and one implementation report. Most were delivered in educational settings; primary care remained under-represented. Psycho-educational programmes were most common, followed by screening or early-identification approaches, mindfulness or expressive-therapeutic interventions, an integrated service model, professional training, and a digital self-help app. Of twelve studies with quantitative outcomes, four reported significant reductions in self-harm thoughts or behaviours, although most were small-scale and short-term. Adverse-event reporting and harm monitoring were limited. Evidence indicates potential benefits of psycho-educational and brief psychotherapeutic interventions in schools, but further multi-site trials with longer follow-up and robust harm-monitoring protocols are needed, particularly within primary care.

PMID:42495715 | PMC:PMC13393056 | DOI:10.1080/28324765.2026.2683019

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