A large number of adolescents struggle with self harm, and due to the sensitive nature of the topic it is often overlooked. Although, this is a major problem it is largely misunderstood and many adolescents won’t seek help for the behavior due to the fear of judgment from misconceptions. In response to this, the study examined the effects exposure to self harm has on perceptions of self harm. Contrary to the hypothesis, there was not a significant difference between those who were exposed to self harm, and those who weren’t; however, the findings still implied that participants agreed with about half of the misconceptions. This shows this is still a negative connotation and stigma surrounding the behavior. This could lead to increased judgment.
