Understanding dual harm: what we know and why does it matter

Slade, K ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7442-4805, 2025. Understanding dual harm: what we know and why does it matter. In: Healthcare in Secure Settings, Sydney, Australia, 31 July - 1 August 2025.

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Abstract

Within research and our services, we’ve often approached self-harm and violence as separate phenomena with different systems, interventions, and frameworks to understand them. Yet the evidence suggests that for many people, these behaviours represent two expressions of the same underlying vulnerabilities.

This talk synthesises recent research revealing that up to two-thirds of individuals in prison who engage in self-harm also engage in violence, with these dual-harm individuals accounting for a disproportionate rate of other incidents. Drawing on both population-level data and personal narratives, I'll illuminate what we know about the developmental pathways to dual harm—from adverse childhood experiences to educational disruption and justice system contact.

I'll also encourage us to reimagine our approach. A fragmented system isn't only inefficient but can actively hinder effective intervention. When we address violence and self-harm in separate ways, we fail to recognise that both behaviours often serve complementary functions—protecting identity, regulating emotions, and adapting to challenging environments.

By adopting a unified framework that acknowledges the common roots of these behaviours, we can seek to develop interventions that address underlying vulnerabilities rather than responding to symptoms. In this talk, I will provide an opportunity to reframe our understanding of dual harm and consider how to develop care pathways that reflect the complexity of human experience and behaviour.

Item Type:	Conference contribution
Creators:	Slade, K.
Date:	1 August 2025
Identifiers:	Number Type 2585320 Other
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Jonathan Gallacher
Date Added:	10 Mar 2026 14:17
Last Modified:	10 Mar 2026 14:17
Related URLs:	Publisher
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/55386

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