Empowering collegiate athletic staff to prevent student athlete suicide

Abstract

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for 18-24 years (Curtin & Heron, 2018). Suicide is the 4th leading cause of death among college student athletes (Rao et al., 2015). While not all student athletes will be seen by mental health professionals, all student athletes interact with their campus athletic staff: athletic trainers, coaches, etc. This paper provides an overview of the risk factors and warning signs suicidal student athletes may exhibit and offers resources and best practices for athletic staff to be informed and proactive in preventing student athlete suicide.