Development and Validation of an Educational Protocol Based on the Phenomenology of Self-Harming Behaviors in Adolescent Girls with a History of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury
Keywords:
Phenomenology, Self-harming behaviors, Non-suicidal self-injury, Adolescent girls, Educational protocol, ValidationAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate an educational protocol grounded in the phenomenology of self-harming behaviors among adolescent girls with a history of non-suicidal self-injury.
Methods and Materials: A qualitative design with a phenomenological approach was employed. Participants consisted of 30 adolescent girls from public lower secondary schools in District 12 of Tehran during the 2023–2024 academic year, selected through purposive sampling until thematic saturation was achieved. Data were collected using semi-structured individual interviews, designed through expert consultation and literature review, and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis followed interpretive phenomenological analysis with open, axial, and selective coding. Expert evaluations were obtained to assess the content validity of the protocol. Reliability was established through test–retest using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and content validity was calculated using CVR and CVI indices.
Findings: The phenomenological analysis revealed four overarching domains: (1) experiences and emotions related to self-harm, (2) psychological and contextual triggers, (3) functional roles of self-harm in coping and communication, and (4) perspectives on future change. Expert assessments indicated high structural, process, and content adequacy of the protocol, with chi-square tests confirming the significance of differences in option choices (p = 0.01). Reliability analysis yielded an ICC of 0.96, indicating strong repeatability, while CVR and CVI values demonstrated robust content validity.
Conclusion: The findings confirm that the developed educational protocol accurately reflects adolescents’ lived experiences and meets expert standards of validity and reliability.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Leila Rafie (Author); Kianoush Zahrakar (Corresponding Author); Parvaneh Mohammadkhani (Author)
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