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Brief Admission by Self-Referral : A 4-Year Follow-Up on Utilisation Patterns and Experiences

Daukantaitė, Daiva ; Lindkvist, Rose-Marie LU orcid ; Lantto, Reid LU orcid and Westling, Sofie LU orcid (2025) In International Journal of Mental Health Nursing 34(4).
Abstract

Brief Admission by self-referral (BA) is a crisis intervention for individuals with recurrent self-harm and suicidal ideation. While short-term effects are documented, long-term utilisation patterns remain unclear. This study examines BA usage over 4 years, identifies distinct utilisation profiles, and qualitatively explores participants' experiences with BA over time. Participants were 62 individuals from a prior randomised controlled trial who provided informed consent for follow-up. Using a mixed-methods convergent parallel design, quantitative and qualitative data were collected simultaneously, analysed separately, and integrated during the discussion. BA utilisation and profiles were examined quantitatively, while qualitative... (More)

Brief Admission by self-referral (BA) is a crisis intervention for individuals with recurrent self-harm and suicidal ideation. While short-term effects are documented, long-term utilisation patterns remain unclear. This study examines BA usage over 4 years, identifies distinct utilisation profiles, and qualitatively explores participants' experiences with BA over time. Participants were 62 individuals from a prior randomised controlled trial who provided informed consent for follow-up. Using a mixed-methods convergent parallel design, quantitative and qualitative data were collected simultaneously, analysed separately, and integrated during the discussion. BA utilisation and profiles were examined quantitatively, while qualitative content analysis was applied to open-ended responses. When analysing mean levels across the entire sample, BA usage initially averaged 8 days per 6-month period but gradually declined over 4 years to 3-4 days. However, cluster analysis revealed distinct BA usage trajectories across three utilisation profiles: Cluster 1 (n = 40) exhibited consistently low BA usage, Cluster 2 (n = 14) showed a gradual decline following an initial phase of engagement, and Cluster 3 (n = 8) maintained high and sustained BA usage throughout the 4-year period, reporting greater impairments but strong satisfaction with BA. These individuals valued BA for its structured support, autonomy, and sense of security. BA appears to serve as both a form of self-care and a gateway to broader psychiatric support, particularly for those with greater functional impairments. To optimise its long-term effectiveness, structural barriers, access inconsistencies, and stigma must be addressed through better integration into psychiatric services.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Humans, Male, Female, Adult, Follow-Up Studies, Self-Injurious Behavior/therapy, Middle Aged, Suicidal Ideation, Crisis Intervention/methods, Referral and Consultation, Young Adult
in
International Journal of Mental Health Nursing
volume
34
issue
4
article number
e70091
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • pmid:40635140
ISSN
1447-0349
DOI
10.1111/inm.70091
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
© 2025 The Author(s). International Journal of Mental Health Nursing published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.
id
eeab443f-15d2-4ee8-a4c1-ac53546ebe0b
date added to LUP
2025-07-15 18:39:51
date last changed
2025-07-16 10:36:13
@article{eeab443f-15d2-4ee8-a4c1-ac53546ebe0b,
  abstract     = {{<p>Brief Admission by self-referral (BA) is a crisis intervention for individuals with recurrent self-harm and suicidal ideation. While short-term effects are documented, long-term utilisation patterns remain unclear. This study examines BA usage over 4 years, identifies distinct utilisation profiles, and qualitatively explores participants' experiences with BA over time. Participants were 62 individuals from a prior randomised controlled trial who provided informed consent for follow-up. Using a mixed-methods convergent parallel design, quantitative and qualitative data were collected simultaneously, analysed separately, and integrated during the discussion. BA utilisation and profiles were examined quantitatively, while qualitative content analysis was applied to open-ended responses. When analysing mean levels across the entire sample, BA usage initially averaged 8 days per 6-month period but gradually declined over 4 years to 3-4 days. However, cluster analysis revealed distinct BA usage trajectories across three utilisation profiles: Cluster 1 (n = 40) exhibited consistently low BA usage, Cluster 2 (n = 14) showed a gradual decline following an initial phase of engagement, and Cluster 3 (n = 8) maintained high and sustained BA usage throughout the 4-year period, reporting greater impairments but strong satisfaction with BA. These individuals valued BA for its structured support, autonomy, and sense of security. BA appears to serve as both a form of self-care and a gateway to broader psychiatric support, particularly for those with greater functional impairments. To optimise its long-term effectiveness, structural barriers, access inconsistencies, and stigma must be addressed through better integration into psychiatric services.</p>}},
  author       = {{Daukantaitė, Daiva and Lindkvist, Rose-Marie and Lantto, Reid and Westling, Sofie}},
  issn         = {{1447-0349}},
  keywords     = {{Humans; Male; Female; Adult; Follow-Up Studies; Self-Injurious Behavior/therapy; Middle Aged; Suicidal Ideation; Crisis Intervention/methods; Referral and Consultation; Young Adult}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{International Journal of Mental Health Nursing}},
  title        = {{Brief Admission by Self-Referral : A 4-Year Follow-Up on Utilisation Patterns and Experiences}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/inm.70091}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/inm.70091}},
  volume       = {{34}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}