Supporting Parents and Caregivers of Children and Adults Who Self-Harm or Experience Suicidal Behaviour: Evidence, Innovation, and Global Perspectives

Self-harm and suicide-related behaviors among children, adolescents, and young people are an urgent public health challenge. Parents and caregivers are often the first and most consistent source of support, yet they remain under-served by research and intervention design. Importantly, caring needs do not end when a child reaches adulthood - many parents continue to support children living with self-harm and suicidal behaviors into adulthood. This is a missed opportunity not only to improve outcomes for young people and adult children - because we know that the parent-child relationship is critical to recovery and resilience - but also to support parents in their own right. Caring in this context carries significant emotional, psychological, and financial costs, and interventions that strengthen caregiver wellbeing can have a dual impact: improving outcomes for the individual at risk and enhancing the health and resilience of the caregiver.We have made important strides in understanding these issues and developing innovative solutions, yet progress remains fragmented. Without a coordinated effort, promising interventions risk remaining in research or pilot stages, with limited attention to implementation, scalability, cultural adaptation, or real-world uptake by families and services. To change this, we need a unified, multi-disciplinary approach- bringing together academia, industry, healthcare, community organisations, and those with lived and living experience. Recent advances in this area include the rise of digital health tools such as apps and telehealth platforms; healthcare and policy support for community-based care and digital innovation; evidence showing the importance of parent-child connectedness for self-harm outcomes; increased use of co-production with families; and growing recognition of the need for global perspectives and the inclusion of culturally adapted interventions for underrepresented groups.This Research Topic focuses on advancing understanding and practical solutions for supporting parents and caregivers of children, adolescents, and adults who engage in self-harm or experience suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The aim is to consolidate evidence, showcase innovation, and accelerate translation of research into practice. Collaboration is essential to turn innovation into real-world solutions for families, and we particularly welcome contributions that adopt a multi-disciplinary perspective. Submissions may focus on, but are not limited to, the following themes:• evidence-based interventions: research and reviews on strategies that support parents and caregivers to reduce self-harm and suicidal behaviors• digital innovations: development and evaluation of apps, online platforms, and telehealth tools for family-focused suicide and self-harm prevention• parent-child connectedness & co-production: approaches that strengthen relationships and embed lived experience in intervention design• equity and global perspectives: studies addressing underrepresented groups, cultural adaptation, and research from low- and middle-income countries• policy and lifespan care: pathways for integrating caregiver-focused interventions into health systems and support for parents of adult children. Topic editors: Joanna Lockwood, Faith Martin, Karen Lascelles Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/76934/supporting-parents-and-caregivers-of-children-and-adults-who-self-harm-or-experience-suicidal-behaviour-evidence-innovation-and-global-perspectives