Rural Secondary School Teachers' Knowledge of Adolescent Suicide Risk Factors

BACKGROUND: Early identification is critical for providing intervention to young people at risk of suicide. Rural adolescents are at greater risk of suicide than their metropolitan peers and often have reduced access to specialised mental health services. Because rural secondary school teachers have ongoing contact with students, they may be well positioned to observe changes in behaviour over time, placing them in a potentially important role in the early identification of suicide risk. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine rural high school teachers' knowledge of adolescent suicide risk factors as measured by the Adolescent Suicide Behaviour Questionnaire (ASBQ). METHODS: Survey methodology investigated suicide risk knowledge among 277 rural secondary school teachers using the Adolescent Suicide Behaviour Questionnaire (ASBQ). Descriptive statistics examined overall scores and scores across the domains of Demographics, Risk Factors, Precipitating Factors, Warning Signs, and Prevention and Treatment. Generalised linear mixed models were used to identify predictors of knowledge scores. RESULTS: Teachers possessed a moderate level of suicide risk knowledge, correctly answering 70.4% of ASBQ items. Teachers who reported experiencing more than one student suicide at their school demonstrated lower overall knowledge scores than those who had not experienced student suicide. CONCLUSIONS: Professional development for rural teachers should strengthen awareness of warning signs, psychiatric disorders, previous suicide attempts, and family and social risk factors. Teachers may contribute to the early identification of suicide risk; however, knowledge alone is unlikely to support effective suicide prevention without system-level supports, referral pathways, and access to mental health services.