Resource Tag: CITIZENS AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

Background: In most countries, men are more likely to die by suicide than women. Adherence to dominant masculine norms, such as being self-reliant, is linked to suicide in men in Western cultures. We created a suicide prevention media campaign, “Boys Do Cry,” designed to challenge the “self-reliance” norm and encourage help-seeking in men. A music […]

In recent times, media campaigns have been gaining popularity as a means of preventing suicide. While differing in their target audiences, suicide prevention media campaigns tend to fall under two groups: general populations and suicidal individuals themselves. This editorial focuses on a number of issues relating to these two groups of campaigns preventing suicide.

Background: Better Off With You is a peer-to-peer, digital suicide prevention campaign pilot designed to challenge the idea of perceived burdensomeness; the schema experienced by many people contemplating suicide that they are a burden on others. Aims: To investigate the safety, acceptability, and initial effectiveness of the campaign. Method: This mixed methods pilot involved a general community sample (N = 157), from […]

Background: Determining optimal methods for preventing suicide continues to be an elusive goal. Aims: The study examines benefits and possible untoward effects of public service announcements (PSAs) for young adults. Methods: Young adult participants (N = 279) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (a) a billboard simulation, (b) a 30-s TV ad simulation, and (c) a […]

Given the disproportionately high suicide rate of farmers in Kentucky and the unique cultural needs of farmers, a coalition was created to reduce the stigma of seeking help for mental health. A targeted communications campaign was developed to provide information to farmers at risk. This paper describes the development and launch of the campaign, including […]

Objective To assess the impact of the “Pause. Call. Be Heard” campaign on help-seeking and suicidal behaviors within rail environment in Victoria, Australia. Methods An anonymous online survey was conducted to measure noticeability of and engagement with the campaign and help-seeking intentions and behaviors among rail commuters at 10 rail stations. We generated descriptive statistics […]

Numerous studies have demonstrated that PSA campaigns can be effective in increasing awareness/knowledge, attitudes, intentions to change behaviors, and ultimately behaviors; and the majority of suicide prevention PSAs encourage help-seeking behavior by the person at-risk and/or by those worried about a person who might be at risk of suicide. However, to date, only a handful […]