Frameworks: a community‐based approach to preventing youth suicide

Abstract

Abstract Few youth suicide prevention programs are theory based and systematically evaluated. This study evaluated the pilot implementation of a community‐based youth suicide prevention project guided by an ecological perspective. One hundred fifty‐seven adults representing various constituencies from educators to health care providers and 131 ninth‐grade students received training and participated in the evaluation. Analysis of questionnaire data collected before and after the trainings indicated significant increases in knowledge about youth suicide and belief in the usefulness of mental health care among adults and students. Adults' preparedness to help youth also increased. Students' sense of responsibility to help their peers who might be at risk for suicide increased from pre‐ to posttraining, as well as the likelihood that these trained students would seek adult assistance immediately if they were concerned about a peer. The results of these analyses are discussed in the context of qualitative information collected through individual interviews with key community contacts. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.