A study of interventions for self-harm in men's prisons
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN13567753 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN13567753 |
| IRAS number | 262835 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | IRAS 262835, CPMS 56010 |
- Submission date
- 17/08/2023
- Registration date
- 18/12/2023
- Last edited
- 03/03/2025
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Ongoing
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English Summary
Background and study aims
Self-harm is when someone deliberately hurts themselves. There are many reasons someone might self-harm. It is commoner in prison than in the general public. There were 47,136 self-harm incidents in men’s prisons in the year to March 2019. This was 24% more than the previous year and the highest ever number. Men’s self-harm is different to women’s, but we know less about treating it in men. Self-harm causes physical harm and emotional upset. Men who self-harm are more likely to kill themselves. Self-harm causes anxiety to families, prison staff and other prisoners. It is expensive for the NHS and prison service to provide treatment and keep men safe. The costs of this are not known.
There is no treatment that has been tested in a clinical trial. Charities, the NHS and prison service have asked for new treatments. Past research into treatments has not listened to the men themselves.
We need to choose the right treatments to test in future clinical trials to see if they reduce self-harm.
We want to:
• Find out what treatments are being given in prisons.
• Understand men’s and staff’s past involvement with self-harm.
• Find out what they think of the treatments they have had, treatments that are given now, and possible new treatments.
This will let us find treatments that are practical to use in prisons, that men would like, and which might work. After this research we will apply for funding for trials to test these treatments. Future benefits will include reduced self-harm with reduced distress, harm and cost.
Who can participate?
Adult remand and sentenced prisoners with personal experience of self-harm in prison, and prison staff.
What does the study involve?
1. We will interview staff from 22 prisons in England. We will find out which treatments for self-harm they offer men.
2. We will hold discussion groups with staff from up to 11 prisons. We will ask about working with men who self-harm, what might help them and how treatments could be given in prison.
3. We will interview up to 30 men in those prisons. We will ask about their self-harm and treatment they have had. We will ask about possible treatments. These will include education, activities, computer treatments, and talking therapies.
Patient and Public Involvement
A discussion group with 10 men with direct experience of self-harm in prison helped to design this project. One of our team has self-harmed in prison. He has worked on designing the project and will carry out some of the research. Prison staff support this research. They will give us advice and make sure that prisoners can take part.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
While there may be no direct benefits for the participants, being able to discuss their experiences and ‘be heard/listened to’ may have a positive effect on those participants who may previously have felt isolated and ignored. Talking about self-harm might be upsetting for some participants. In the event of a participant becoming upset or distressed about any issue, the usual prison support systems will be followed. Staff will be able to access the existing support systems available to them via the HM Prison Service, including private support and counselling support. The men in prison will be able to contact their personal officer, inreach psychology team, mental health staff, or a representative from the chaplaincy department. If a man is distressed and likely to self-harm, the prison will follow their usual procedure implementing the ACCT process.
Where is the study run from?
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (UK)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
June 2019 to July 2025
Who is funding the study?
National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research for Patient Benefit Programme (UK).
Who is the main contact?
Dr Louise Robinson, louise.robinson@manchester.ac.uk
Contact information
Principal Investigator
Division of Psychology and Mental Health
School of Health Sciences
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
University of Manchester
Manchester Academic Health Science Centre
Jean McFarlane Building
Oxford Road
Manchester
M13 9PL
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0001-6455-1360 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 1772 676134 |
| louise.robinson@manchester.ac.uk |
Study information
| Study design | Observational qualitative multi-centre |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Observational |
| Secondary study design | Cross sectional study |
| Study setting(s) | Prison/detention |
| Study type | Other |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format, please use contact details to request a participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | An exploratory study of interventions for self-harm in men's prisons |
| Study acronym | PrisScope |
| Study hypothesis | To understand what self-harm interventions are currently being delivered to men in England and Wales in a representative sample of prisons, and to learn the treatment experiences and preferences of men who self-harm in prison and staff who work with them. This will inform the development of evidence-based interventions. |
| Ethics approval(s) |
Approved 14/06/2019, North East - York Research Ethics Committee (NHSBT Newcastle Blood Donor Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom; +44 207 1048091; nrescommittee.northeast-york@nhs.net), ref: 19/NE/0129 |
| Condition | Self-Harm |
| Intervention | 1. Mapping study: telephone interviews with staff from 22 prisons in England and Wales to identify interventions for self-harm being offered to men 2. Focus groups/interviews with multidisciplinary staff exploring experience and views of prison self-harm and interventions 3. Individual interviews with men with history of self-harm regarding self-harm and interventions |
| Intervention type | Other |
| Primary outcome measure | Measured at a single time point: 1. Current service provision for self-harm measured using the TIDieR checklist 2. Prisoners' views on self-harm interventions using qualitative interviews, analysed using Framework Analysis 3. Prison staff views on self-harm interventions using qualitative interviews, analysed using Framework Analysis |
| Secondary outcome measures | There are no secondary outcome measures |
| Overall study start date | 14/06/2019 |
| Overall study end date | 31/07/2025 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Health professional, Other |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Lower age limit | 18 Years |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 162 |
| Total final enrolment | 127 |
| Participant inclusion criteria | Study Participants – Men in Prison 1. Remand and sentenced prisoners with personal experience of self-harm in prison. 2. 18 years or over. Staff Participants (Mapping) 1. 22 Safer Custody staff (prison staff who manage risk of self-harm), 22 secondary mental health staff Staff Participants (Focus groups/interviews) 1. A least one representative from prison officers, primary care and secondary mental healthcare, Safer Custody |
| Participant exclusion criteria | Study Participants – Men in Prison 1. Unable to provide informed consent. 2. Men where risk to others means that individual interviews could not be conducted. 3. Unable to take part in an interview in English. 4. Men who are too distressed/unwell to participate. Staff Participants (Mapping) 1. Staff without experience of working with men who self-harm. 2. Staff who are unable to take part in an interview in English. Staff Participants (Focus groups/interviews) 1. Staff without experience of working with men who self-harm. 2. Staff unable to take part in an interview in English |
| Recruitment start date | 01/09/2023 |
| Recruitment end date | 28/02/2025 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- England
- United Kingdom
- Wales
Study participating centres
Buckley Farm Lane
Rochdale
OL12 9DP
United Kingdom
Bowes Road
Barnard Castle
DL12 9BG
United Kingdom
19b Old Elvet
Durham
DH1 3HU
United Kingdom
Leyland
PR26 8NE
United Kingdom
The Wolds
Everthorpe
Brough
HU15 2JZ
United Kingdom
Gloucester Terrace
Armley
Leeds
LS12 2TJ
United Kingdom
Morpeth
NE65 9XG
United Kingdom
Preston
PR1 5AB
United Kingdom
Wakefield
WF2 9AG
United Kingdom
Fazakerley
Liverpool
L9 7LH
United Kingdom
Pendlebury
Swinton
Manchester
M27 8UE
United Kingdom
Brasside
Durham
DH1 5YD
United Kingdom
York
YO41 1PS
United Kingdom
Bickershaw
Wigan
WN2 5TH
United Kingdom
Stone Row Head
Lancaster
LA1 3QZ
United Kingdom
Hatfield Woodhouse
Lindholme
Doncaster
DN7 6EE
United Kingdom
Liverpool
L9 3DF
United Kingdom
Leyland
PR26 8LW
United Kingdom
Bedford
MK40 1HG
United Kingdom
Bridge Road
Wrexham Industrial Estate
Wrexham
LL13 9QE
United Kingdom
Cardiff
CF24 0UG
United Kingdom
Yelverton
PL20 6RR
United Kingdom
Church Road
Eastchurch
Sheerness
ME12 4DZ
United Kingdom
Erlestoke
Devizes
SN10 5TU
United Kingdom
Highpoint
Stradishall
Newmarket
CB8 9YG
United Kingdom
Huntercombe PLACE
Nuffield
Henley-on-thames
RG9 5SB
United Kingdom
Gloucester Terrace
Armley
Leeds
LS12 2TJ
United Kingdom
Liverpool
L9 3DF
United Kingdom
Stafford
ST16 3AW
United Kingdom
Stocken Hall Road
Stretton
Oakham
LE15 7RD
United Kingdom
The Verne
Portland
DT5 1EQ
United Kingdom
Coedypaen
Pontypool
NP4 0TB
United Kingdom
Whatton
Nottingham
NG13 9FQ
United Kingdom
Whitemoor
Longhill Road
March
PE15 0PR
United Kingdom
Wormwood Scrubs
Du Cane Road
London
W12 0AE
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
Hospital/treatment centre
The Lantern Centre
Vicarage Lane
Fulwood
Preston
PR2 8DW
England
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 1772 773498 |
|---|---|
| farah.lunat@lscft.nhs.uk |
Funders
Funder type
Government
Government organisation / National government
- Alternative name(s)
- NIHR Research for Patient Benefit Programme, RfPB
- Location
- United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 30/09/2025 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Data sharing statement to be made available at a later date |
| Publication and dissemination plan | Findings will be disseminated widely, ensuring maximum impact by engaging all key stakeholders. We have longstanding relationships with prison healthcare stakeholders in NHS England/PHE as well as the Ministry of Justice and HMPPS. These contacts will assist in dissemination of results to prison staff and policymakers. As a team we have partnerships with national/international groups eg Worldwide Prison Health Research and Engagement Network, Offender Health Research Network, Self-Injury Support and One Small Thing. We will use these relationships to share our work. We will develop lay research summaries to share with participants and other prisoners, eg by publishing in Inside Times. We shall also run dissemination events in our study prisons. We will submit papers to peer-reviewed international journals and present findings at an academic and professional conference. Our study outcomes will be shared via social media. |
| IPD sharing plan | The data-sharing plans for the current study are unknown and will be made available at a later date. |
Editorial Notes
03/03/2025: Total final enrolment added. The overall study end date was changed from 28/02/2025 to 31/07/2025.
30/05/2024: The recruitment end date and overall study end date was changed from 30/06/2024 to 28/02/2025.
29/08/2023: Trial's existence confirmed by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) (UK).
