Short‐ and Long‐Term Impact of an Undergraduate Suicidology Course

Abstract

Objective Suicide prevention models emphasize the importance of education as a foundational element for success. Yet, courses on suicidology are rare and those that do exist focus on clinical intervention skills at the graduate level, missing a critical population of undergraduate students. The current study evaluated the short and long‐term impact of a semester long liberal education undergraduate course in suicidology. Method Students enrolled in either the experimental (Understanding Suicide) or control course completed pre‐ post‐ and 4‐month follow‐up surveys assessing objective knowledge about suicide, suicide stigma, attitudes towards suicidal persons, and suicide prevention advocacy. Results Mixed repeated measures ANCOVAs indicated significant interactions between course enrollment over time for all the outcome variables. Students in the suicidology course showed significant pre‐ to post‐ increases in knowledge and suicide prevention advocacy, alongside reductions in suicide stigma and negative attitudes compared to students in the control course, who showed no significant pre‐/post changes. All effects were maintained over time. Conclusion Providing general education undergraduate courses in suicidology may be an important avenue for building a motivated and informed public that can sustain suicide prevention efforts in their communities.

Are Social Work Students Being Adequately Prepared to Intervene With Suicide?

“…Although there is only one example of a BSW-level course on suicide in the literature (Mirick, 2019), there are several examples of undergraduate courses on suicide in fields outside of social work (Cramer & Long 2018;Muehlenkamp & Thoen, 2019). Undergraduate courses covering suicidality are infrequently discussed in the literature but may be more common than is suggested by the literature.…”

Factors associated to suicide risk in stricto sensu postgraduate students: a cross-sectional study

“…In view of this scenario, the results of this study contribute to broaden the understanding of how certain aspects (demographic, socioeconomic, health and academic) are associated with the suicide risk in a sample of Brazilian students, and they present evidence that indicates the vulnerability of this population for suicidal behavior. They also allow for the constitution of an important situational diagnosis for postgraduate institutions and programs, especially the national ones, to implement strategies, such as lectures and institutional training programs to identify suicide risk and understand suicidal behavior, successful experiences carried out in other university contexts ( 38 - 40 ) , although based on specific risk factors for this population.…”

Suicidology Post Graduate Curriculum: Priority Topics and Delivery Mechanisms for Suicide Prevention Education

“…There is some evidence of the effectiveness of specialized training on evidence-based suicide prevention strategies, such as suicide risk assessment, safety planning, and clinical interventions, which have been delivered to mental health professionals [ 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 ], school psychologists [ 43 ], medical, nursing, and pharmacy students [ 44 , 45 , 46 ], psychology students [ 26 ], social work students [ 23 , 47 ], and students in other health professions [ 40 ]. For instance, in Australia, first-year medical, paramedical, and pharmacy students who completed an experiential suicide awareness and intervention program reported improved skills, knowledge, and attitudes toward assessment and management of at-risk individuals [ 32 ].…”