Strategies for Enhancing a School-Based Suicide Prevention Training: Student Perspectives

Suicide remains a leading cause of death among adolescents in the United States, and instances of death by suicide continue to increase in this population. To mitigate this public health crisis, effective and accessible suicide prevention programming is critical; however, suicide prevention programming is often developed and implemented without input from the adolescents engaged in the training. This study developed themes that emerged from student feedback as to how a school-based suicide prevention training, delivered to adolescents by either their peers or school personnel, could be improved. Data was collected from 2,480 adolescents who completed pre-training and post-training surveys between March 2022 and June 2023. Thematic analysis was used to explore participant responses to an open-ended question included in the post-training survey, which asked whether students had suggestions for improving the training. Four themes were generated: empowerment, self-care, increased sensitivity and discretion, and enhanced interactive learning and engagement. These themes highlight the need to incorporate a flexible, trauma-informed approach into school-based suicide prevention training. Given their role and expertise, nurses are well-suited to implement these strategies. Student perspectives should consistently be sought and integrated into curricula as communities strive to decrease death by suicide among adolescents.