Research

Our research spans a range of disciplines and uses a number of approaches to better understand suicidal behaviour and self-harm. A selection of our current and past research projects are listed below.

Epidemiological studies

  • The incidence of student suicide in England (collaboration with ONS)
  • Childhood adversity and suicidal behaviour in Sri Lanka
  • Social capital and social determinants of suicide in Sri Lanka
  • Pesticide restrictions in Taiwan
  • Occupations at increased risk of suicide (collaboration with ONS)
  • Differences between self-harm with and without suicidal intent
  • Transitions from suicidal thoughts and non-suicidal self-harm to suicide attempts: a longitudinal study
  • Pathways to self-harm: Biological mechanisms and genetic contribution
  • Risk factors for suicide amongst Ambulance service staff
  • An Ecological Momentary Assessment study of self-harm thoughts and behaviours
  • Improving understanding of help seeking for self-harm using data linkage
  • The Bristol self-harm surveillance register
  • Pubertal timing and self-harm
  • Chronicity, timing and type of Adverse Childhood experiences and self-harm and depression
  • Social media use and mental health
  • Emotional dysregulation, self-harm and eating disorders
  • Risk factors for suicide among parent carers
  • Trajectories of self-harm from adolescence to adulthood
  • Suicidal outcomes during COVID-19

Qualitative and Mixed-method studies

  • A multi-centre programme of clinical and public health research to guide health service priorities for preventing suicide in England – Suicide Prevention: NIHR Programme Grant
  • Identifying Effective Approaches to Improving Mental Health and Wellbeing Amongst University Students
  • The impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and School Closures on adolescent mental health and wellbeing
  • Life after self-harm in Sri Lanka
  • Exploring barriers to asking about domestic violence after self-harm presentation to hospital in the UK by Liaison Psychiatry Staff
  • Factors influencing choice of suicide method
  • Help-seeking behaviour of young adults with mental distress and suicidal thoughts
  • Impact of the internet and social media on self-harm and suicidal behaviour
  • User evaluation of online help for suicidal thoughts
  • The experience of delivering and receiving suicide postvention in schools after a student death by suicide
  • Developing app-based suicide support provision for high risk users of a young person’s mental health app

Experimental studies and trials

  • The impact of lived experience stories of self-harm on help seeking intentions, mood and future self-harm
  • Effectiveness of household lockable pesticide storage to reduce pesticide self-poisoning in rural Asia: a community-based, cluster-randomised controlled trial.
  • Vendor ‘gatekeeper’ training to prevent pesticide self-poisoning
  • A cluster randomised controlled trial of an intervention to improve the mental health support and training available to secondary school teachers – the WISE (Wellbeing in Secondary Education) project