The Effectiveness of Peer Gatekeeper Training Program for Vulnerable Middle School Students through Quasi-Experimental Method

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the effects of a peer gatekeeper training program on self-esteem, suicide literacy, and peer relational skills of vulnerable middle school students. Methods: A non-equivalent control group study with a pretest-posttest design was used. A total of 43 vulnerable group middle school students participated in this study. Conducting pre-survey sand post-surveys on the experimental and control groups using the self-esteem, suicide literacy, and peer relational skills verified the effectiveness of the program. The program consisted of a total of 10 sessions, 50 minutes per session, over 5 weeks. Collected data were analyzed with x2 test, Fisher’s exact probability test, independent t-test, and Shapiro-Wilk test using the IBM SPSS Statistics version 25. Results: Self-esteem (t=6.72, p<.001), suicide literacy (t=10.50, p<.001), and peer relational skills (t=11.49, p<.001) of the experimental group participating in a peer gatekeeper training program significantly increased. Conclusion: The peer gatekeeper training program can be used as an effective nursing intervention to increase self-esteem, suicide literacy, and peer relational skills in vulnerable middle school students.