To access this work you must either be on the Smith College campus OR have valid Smith login credentials.
On Campus users: To access this work if you are on campus please Select the Download button.
Off Campus users: To access this work from off campus, please select the Off-Campus button and enter your Smith username and password when prompted.
Non-Smith users: You may request this item through Interlibrary Loan at your own library.
Publication Date
2017
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
School for Social Work
Keywords
Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), Secondary trauma, Burnout, College students, Resident assistants, Parasuicide, Self-injurious behavior, Secondary traumatic stress, College students-Suicidal behavior, Resident assistants (Dormitories)-Job stress, Burn out (Psychology)
Abstract
Nonsuicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) is a common occurrence on college campuses, yet the effect on nearby students in residence halls is minimally understood. NSSI has been studied in terms of frequency, co-morbidity, and function, and it reflects an impaired capacity to regulate emotions that can be understood within a psychodynamic framework. This investigation explores how NSSI use by college students living in residence halls can affect Resident Assistants (RAs), how RAs respond to assist the students in distress, and how they manage their own reactions. The research demonstrates the highly complicated nature of NSSI in residence halls that can have a ripple effect. The analysis identifies that RAs who work with residents struggling with NSSI have higher levels of secondary traumatic stress and burnout than RAs who do not, and that peers can become highly involved in working to regulate the distressed resident. This study will interest social workers who work in college counseling centers, who want to understand the consequences of the NSSI their clients might be using, or who want to modify the effects of secondary trauma and burnout that might be experienced by peers or nonclinical staff.
Language
English
Recommended Citation
McCarthy, Katherine M., "The experience of resident assistants encountering nonsuicidal self-injury use by a resident : a mixed methods investigation" (2017). Dissertation, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/theses/1958
Smith Only:
Off Campus Download
Comments
viii, 330 pages : color illustration. Includes bibliographical references (pages 246-271)