An Outcome Evaluation of the Sources of Strength Suicide Prevention Program Delivered by Adolescent Peer Leaders in High Schools

TLDR

Sources of Strength is the first suicide prevention program that uses peer leaders to enhance protective factors aimed at reducing school‑level suicide risk. The study examined the effectiveness of this peer‑leader–delivered program in boosting protective factors among trained peer leaders and the broader high‑school student population. Eighteen high schools (six metropolitan, twelve rural) were randomized to immediate intervention or wait‑list control, and baseline and 4‑month surveys were administered to 453 peer leaders and 2,675 students from the rural schools. Training improved peer leaders’ adaptive norms, connectedness to adults, and school engagement, and in larger schools increased referrals of suicidal peers fourfold; students reported greater adult support and higher acceptability of seeking help, especially those with a history of suicidal ideation.

Abstract

We examined the effectiveness of the Sources of Strength suicide prevention program in enhancing protective factors among peer leaders trained to conduct schoolwide messaging and among the full population of high school students.Eighteen high schools--6 metropolitan and 12 rural--were randomly assigned to immediate intervention or the wait-list control. Surveys were administered at baseline and 4 months after program implementation to 453 peer leaders in all schools and to 2675 students selected as representative of the 12 rural schools.Training improved the peer leaders' adaptive norms regarding suicide, their connectedness to adults, and their school engagement, with the largest gains for those entering with the least adaptive norms. Trained peer leaders in larger schools were 4 times as likely as were untrained peer leaders to refer a suicidal friend to an adult. Among students, the intervention increased perceptions of adult support for suicidal youths and the acceptability of seeking help. Perception of adult support increased most in students with a history of suicidal ideation.Sources of Strength is the first suicide prevention program involving peer leaders to enhance protective factors associated with reducing suicide at the school population level.