Suicide prevention programs in schools offer an important opportunity to reach young people at risk of developing suicide-related thoughts and behaviours (SRTB), but they risk being ineffective without greater focus on implementation.
That’s a key contention in a new paper, led by Head of Suicide Research at Orygen Professor Jo Robinson and published in Nature Mental Health, that backs the potential of school-based suicide prevention programs, but calls for a rethink to overcome challenges such as:
- crowded curricula and limited resources
- programs not designed for real school settings
- lack of co-design with teachers, students and families
- limited support and referral pathways
- disconnect between health and education departments
- missed opportunities in existing school programs
Co-authored by Dr Samuel McKay and Belén Vargas, the paper calls for a broader, more integrated approach to suicide prevention in schools, including considering the social determinants that can lead to SRTB (such as cost of living and health inequity), as well as individual risk factors such mental ill-health, school attendance and bullying.
Professor Robinson said suicide prevention programs were often developed by researchers with a narrow focus and short-term funding, and this siloed approach could make it hard for schools to prioritise delivery of the programs.
“Schools are busy and complex environments where resourcing is scarce, so suicide prevention programs can seem like yet another thing to fit into a packed curriculum,” Professor Robinson said.
“It’s important that we design programs with implementation in mind, considering the reality of the school environment and exploring how we can capitalise on existing programs to better integrate suicide prevention education across the system.”
Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people worldwide, and the paper acknowledges the importance of school environments for reaching young people to raise awareness and highlight the supports available.
“Research has demonstrated that whilst many suicide prevention programs in schools show promise, their longer-term impacts remain unclear, in part due to challenges in coordination across different areas of research, government and policy,” Professor Robinson said.
“One of the challenges we see is that while suicide prevention activities are the remit of health departments, schools are the responsibility of education departments, and there is often a disconnect between what suicide prevention programs recommend and what schools can actually deliver.
“We need a cross-government approach, and longer-term funding models that consider implementation and co-design with schools and young people so these vital programs can reach and engage the young people who need them most.”