Silence is deadly: A controlled trial of a public health intervention to promote help-seeking in adolescent males

Objective To test the effectiveness of a male-targeted upstream public health intervention in increasing help-seeking intentions for mental disorders and suicide in an adolescent population. Method A two-arm controlled trial was conducted with 10 schools in the Australian Capital Territory. A total of 594 male adolescents aged between 16 and 18 years participated in the study. Participants in the intervention condition received the single session Silence is Deadly program, while participants in the control condition completed usual classes. All participants completed a pre-intervention, post-intervention, and a 6- to 12-week follow-up survey assessing help-seeking intentions, attitudes, and behaviors. Results At follow-up, the Silence is Deadly program was found to significantly increase help-seeking intentions from friends, which was in line with the program’s messaging to seek help from and provide support to friends in times of distress or suicide risk. The program did not have an effect on help-seeking intentions for other sources of help or on help-seeking attitudes and behavior. Conclusions The present study provides preliminary support for male-targeted public health interventions for suicide that use male-focused norming and role modeling to improve help-seeking in this population.