School-Based Recommendations for Addressing Nonsuicidal Self-Injury: Application to Rural Settings

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) has emerged as a common and serious concern in school settings. Up to one in five students report having self-injured and continued NSSI engagement is associated with a multitude of mental health difficulties. Moreover, NSSI uniquely and significantly exacerbates the risk of death by suicide. Despite this, many schools report having limited resources to address NSSI among students, with staff often feeling underequipped when working with students who self-injure. Unfortunately, this may be particularly true for schools in rural regions, which often face other unique challenges (e.g., increased stigma in these communities around the acceptability of help-seeking). This article presents a brief overview of current NSSI knowledge and offers practical recommendations for schools in rural areas to effectively respond to students who self-injure. We hope that by using these guidelines, schools in rural areas will be better positioned to address the needs of students who self-injure, reduce the burden on school staff, and foster greater student well-being. Public Health Significance Statement Intended for rural school professionals, the current article offers a brief overview of the current literature regarding self-injury among students. Next, practical guidance is offered about how to effectively respond to students who engage in self-injury. By drawing on the information presented in this article, rural schools should be better positioned to respond to and support students who engage in self-injury.