Which programmes and policies across health and community settings will generate the most significant impacts for youth suicide prevention in Australia and the UK? Protocol for a systems modelling and simulation study

Introduction: Suicide is a leading cause of mortality among young people aged 15-24 globally. Despite the deployment of comprehensive suicide prevention strategies, we still do not know which interventions, for which groups of young people, for how long and with what intensity could generate the most significant reductions in suicide rates. System dynamics modelling has the […]

Evaluation of a system for real-time surveillance of suicide in England

Background: Access to timely data on suicide is crucial to support suicide prevention. A real-time suicide surveillance (RTSS) system enables public health teams and allied agencies to review information following suicides promptly and take action quickly. Aims: The aim of this paper was to report on an evaluation of an RTSS system in South Yorkshire, England. Method: The […]

Evaluating the effectiveness of components of national suicide prevention strategies: A interrupted time series analysis

Background: National suicide prevention strategies support development of suicide prevention activities and their evaluation. Aims: To describe components included in national suicide prevention strategies and analyze the potential contribution of individual components to reduce suicide rates. Method: We conducted a narrative review and statistical analysis of national suicide prevention strategies. The narrative review was based on a framework […]

Evaluating the efficacy of a community participatory intervention to prevent suicide in Thailand: A randomised controlled trial protocol

Introduction: The age-standardised suicide mortality rate in Thailand has been stable at a high level in recent years, highlighting the need for suicide prevention interventions. In Thailand, community involvement plays a key role in health promotion. The aim of this ongoing trial is to evaluate the efficacy of a community participatory intervention in two subdistricts in […]

Evaluation of a new online program for children bereaved by suicide: The views of children, parents, and facilitators

Objective: Experiencing the suicide of a parent or a sibling is one of the most disruptive and stressful events in the life of a child or adolescent. Yet, little is known about the effectiveness of support offered to children and adolescents bereaved by suicide. This study aimed to evaluate participant and facilitator’s perceived helpfulness of the […]

Effectiveness of school‐based programs to reduce bullying perpetration and victimization: An updated systematic review and meta‐analysis

Background: Bullying first emerged as an important topic of research in the 1980s in Norway (Olweus), and a recent meta‐analysis shows that these forms of aggression remain prevalent among young people globally (Modecki et al.). Prominent researchers in the field have defined  bullying as any aggressive behavior that incorporates three key elements, namely: (1) an […]

Safety, acceptability, and initial effectiveness of a novel digital suicide prevention campaign challenging perceived burdensomeness: A mixed methods study

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 […]

Evaluation of a community suicide prevention project (Roots of Hope): Protocol for an implementation science study

Background: Roots of Hope (RoH) is a multisite Canadian community-based suicide prevention initiative developed by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), which is based on evidence for intervention effectiveness  and World Health Organization recommendations. Seven communities developed local activities in the following 5 pillars: specialized supports, training and networks, public awareness, means safety, and […]

Evaluation of the risk identification for suicide and enhanced care model in a Native American community

Objective  To prospectively validate a statistical risk model implemented in a community setting and evaluate whether use of this model was associated with improved reach of evidence-based care and reduced subsequent suicide-related behavior among high-risk individuals. Design, Setting, and Participants  This prognostic study, done in partnership with the White Mountain Apache Tribe, used data collected by the […]

Principles-focused evaluation: The guide

How can programs and organizations ensure they are adhering to core principles—and assess whether doing so is yielding desired results? From evaluation pioneer Michael Quinn Patton, this book introduces the principles-focused evaluation (P-FE) approach and demonstrates its relevance and application in a range of settings. Patton explains why principles matter for program development and evaluation […]

PRINTQUAL: A measure for assessing the quality of newspaper reporting of suicide

Background: Many studies have demonstrated a relationship between newspaper reporting of actual or fictional suicides and subsequent suicidal behaviors. Previous measures of the quality of reporting lack consistency concerning which specific elements should be included and how they should be weighted. Aims: To develop an instrument, PRINTQUAL, comprising two scales of the quality (poor and good) of newspaper […]

A systematic review of evaluated suicide prevention programs targeting Indigenous youth

Background: Indigenous young people have significantly higher suicide rates than their non-indigenous counterparts. There is a need for culturally appropriate and effective suicide prevention programs for this demographic. Aims: This review assesses suicide prevention programs that have been evaluated for indigenous youth in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. Method: The databases MEDLINE and PsycINFO were searched for […]

Measuring trainer fidelity in the transfer of suicide prevention training

Background: Finding effective and efficient models to train large numbers of suicide prevention interventionists, including ‘hotline’ crisis counselors, is a high priority. Train-the-trainer (TTT) models are widely used but understudied. Aims: To assess the extent to which trainers following TTT delivered the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) program with fidelity, and to examine fidelity across two […]

Pilot evaluation of a group therapy program for children bereaved by suicide

Background: Thousands of children are bereaved each year by suicide, yet there exists very little literature specifically on the psychological care, programs, and interventions available to help them. Aims: (1) To build and validate theoretical models for the Group Therapy Program for Children Bereaved by Suicide (PCBS); (2) to test these models in a preliminary evaluation. Methods: In […]

Evaluation of a resource for people bereaved by suicide

Background: Self-help resources are an important means of supporting people bereaved by suicide. These require careful evaluation. Aims: To evaluate the use and impact of Help is at Hand, a hardcopy and online booklet produced as part of England’s suicide-prevention strategy. Methods: Data were collected on numbers of copies distributed and online access, and on users’ views about the resource through […]

Effects if a comprehensive police suicide prevention program

Background: Police suicides are an important problem, and many police forces have high rates. Montreal police suicide rates were slightly higher than other Quebec police rates in the 11 years before the program began (30.5/100,000 per year vs. 26.0/100,000). Aims: To evaluate Together for Life, a suicide prevention program for the Montreal police. Methods: All 4,178 members of the Montreal […]

Referral patterns for youths identified at risk for suicide by trained gatekeepers

Background: In order to better understand the posttraining suicide prevention behavior of gatekeeper trainees, the present article examines the referral and service receipt patterns among gatekeeper-identified youths. Methods: Data for this study were drawn from 26 Garrett Lee Smith grantees funded between October 2005 and October 2009 who submitted data about the number, characteristics, and service access of […]

Evaluation of the Commitment to Living (CTL) curriculum: A 3-hour training for mental health professionals to address suicide risk

Background: Finding effective and efficient options for training mental health professionals to assess and manage suicide risk is a high priority. Aims: To test whether an innovative, brief workshop can improve provider knowledge, confidence, and written risk assessment in a multidisciplinary sample of ambulatory and acute services professionals and trainees. Methods: We conducted a pre/post evaluation of a 3 h […]

Improving risk assessment with suicidal patients: A preliminary evaluation of the clinical utility of the Scale for Impact of Suicidality-Management, Assessment and Planning of Care (SIS-MAP)

Background: Although a number of suicide-risk assessment tools are available to clinicians, the high levels of suicide still evident in society suggest a clear need for new strategies in order to facilitate the prevention of suicidal behaviors. Aims: The present study examined the utilization of a new structured clinical interview called the Scale for Impact of Suicidality […]

Respite House evaluation report

The Centre for Suicide Prevention received funding from Alberta Health to pilot a respite centre in Fort McMurray. Respite centres are a community-based alternative to hospital care for people in suicidal crisis. Through short-term stays in a home-like environment, guests access 24/7 crisis de-escalation services, respite activities, peer support, and connection to community resources and […]

Effectiveness of suicide prevention skills training on the willingness to intervene and the self-efficacy among young adult students

Objective: The current study evaluated the long-term effectiveness of a peer delivered suicide prevention gatekeeper training program for college students. Participants: 1,345 undergraduate students (Mage = 20.24, SD = 3.27; 89.6% White) received the peer led training during a single class-period. Method: Participants completed pre- post- and 3-month follow-up surveys assessing knowledge, perceived intervention skills, […]

Evaluation of sustainable, blended learning workforce education for suicide prevention in youth services

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth in the U.S. and equipping clinical and non-clinical staff in youth services to address suicide concerns is a challenge. This paper evaluates InPlace Learning, an innovative and sustainable blended learning approach to suicide prevention workforce education in youth services. InPlace Learning combines group video-guided workshops, […]

Effectiveness of man therapy to reduce suicidal ideation and depression among working-age men: A randomized controlled trial

Objective This randomized controlled trial of the online intervention, man therapy (MT), evaluated efficacy to reduce suicidal ideation (SI) and depression among working-aged men. Method Five-hundred and fifty-four men enrolled and 421 completed all surveys. Control Condition men explored the Healthy Men Michigan (HMM) website and Intervention Condition men explored HMM and MT. Hypotheses included […]