An explorative study of peer influence and response to adolescent self‐cutting behavior in Hong Kong∗

This paper reports on a qualitative study of peer responses to self‐cutting of secondary school adolescents in Hong Kong. Through semi‐structured in‐depth interviews with three adolescent self‐cutters, their family members, and their peers, the peers’ response to adolescents’ self‐cutting was explored. The findings showed that different peers had different types of influence, as well as different responses to self‐cutting. Close and supportive peers were usually the first to discover the self‐cutting. They were a source of help, communicating with parents, friends, teachers, and the adolescents themselves. In contrast, non‐supportive peers, especially boyfriends or girlfriends, created conflicts that seemed to provoke self‐cutting. The findings’ significance for social work intervention is also discussed.