We are the safety net: skills for suicide prevention evaluating a training to increase recognition and response to signs of suicide among at-risk peers

Abstract

This pilot study evaluated the effects of a brief suicide prevention training. The intervention was efficient and targeted peer intervention for those least likely to engage in proactive help seeking on their own behalf. The results were promising but mixed. The results showed that the intervention can increase suicide literacy and confidence about safety planning and help seeking on behalf of an at-risk peer. Significant differences were found in the small sample with variables most relevant to the ability to recognize peers at risk for suicide and act effectively on their behalf. Variables not directly emphasized in the training and those with high baseline scores did not show change. The brevity of the intervention lends itself to potential dissemination opportunities in educational and healthcare settings such as new student orientations, teacher in-service trainings, hospital staff training and community-based outreach.