Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T23:01:56.817Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

20 - Adolescent Suicidal Behavior in Schools: What to Know and What to Do

from Part IV - Behavioral and Social-Emotional Interventions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2020

By
James J. Mazza  and
David N. Miller
Edited by
Frank C. Worrell ,
Tammy L. Hughes  and
Dante D. Dixson
Frank C. Worrell
Affiliation:
University of California, Berkeley
Tammy L. Hughes
Affiliation:
Duquesne University, Pittsburgh
Dante D. Dixson
Affiliation:
Michigan State University
Get access

Summary

School psychologists play a vital role in the mental health and well-being of students and are often tasked with establishing the assessment and intervention plans for reducing the severity of mental health difficulties, including suicidal behavior. With suicide the second-leading cause of death for middle and high school students, school psychologists need to be familiar with what their role is in recommending and providing suicide prevention and intervention programs within a multitiered systems of support (MTSS) framework. This chapter provides an overview of the problem of adolescent suicidal behavior (“what to know”), while also providing specific recommendations (“what to do”) for suicide prevention/intervention programs within each tier of the MTSS. Finally, this chapter includes specific guidelines for implementing “suicide postvention” (after a death due to suicide) procedures, in hopes of reducing the likelihood of another death due to suicide.

Keywords

adolescent suicidal behavioryouth suicideschool-based suicide preventionMTSS and suicideadolescent mental health
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Applied School Psychology , pp. 335 - 352
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, & Suicide Prevention Resource Center. (2018). After a suicide: A toolkit for schools (2nd ed.). Waltham, MA: Education Development Center. Retrieved from www.sprc.org/sites/default/files/resource-program/AfteraSuicideToolkitforSchools.pdfGoogle Scholar
Erbacher, T. A., Singer, J. B., & Poland, S. (2015). Suicide in schools: A practitioner’s guide to multi-level prevention, assessment, intervention, and postvention. New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Hart, S. (2012). Student suicide: Suicide postvention. In Brock, S. E. & Jimerson, S. R. (Eds.), Best practices in school crisis prevention and intervention, second edition (pp. 525–547). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.Google Scholar
Miller, D. N. (2011). Child and adolescent suicidal behavior: School-based prevention, assessment, and intervention. New York, NY: Guilford.Google Scholar

References

Abrutyn, S., & Mueller, A. S. (2014). Are suicidal behaviors contagious in adolescence? Using longitudinal data to examine suicide suggestion. American Sociological Review, 79, 211–227. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122413519445Google Scholar
Aseltine, R. H., & DeMartino, R. (2004). An outcome evaluation of the SOS suicide prevention program. American Journal of Public Health, 94, 446–451. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.94.3.446CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Aseltine, R. H., James, A., Schilling, E. A., & Glanovsky, J. (2007). Evaluating the SOS suicide prevention program: A replication and extension. BMC Public Health, 7, 161. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-7-161CrossRefGoogle Scholar
A-Tjak, J. G., Davis, M. L., Morina, N., et al. (2015). A meta-analysis of the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy for clinically relevant mental and physical health problems. Psychotherapy and psychosomatics, 84, 30–36. https://doi.org/10.1159/000365764Google Scholar
Brent, D. A., Baugher, M., Bridge, J., Chen, T., & Chiappetta, L. (1999). Age- and sex-related risk factors for adolescent suicide. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 38, 1497–1505. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-199912000-00010Google Scholar
Brent, D. A., Kerr, M. M., Goldstein, C., et al. (1989). An outbreak of suicide and suicidal behavior in a high school. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 28, 918–924. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-198911000-00017Google Scholar
Catron, T., & Weiss, B. (1994). The Vanderbilt school-based counseling program: An interagency, primary-care model of mental health services. Journal of Emotional Behavioral Disorders, 2, 247–253. https://doi.org/10.1177/106342669400200407CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (2015). 10 leading causes of death by age group, United States – 2014. Retrieved from www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/pdf/leading_causes_of_death_by_age_group_2014-a.pdfGoogle Scholar
Collaborative for Assessment, Social, and Emotional Learning. (2015). 2015 CASEL guide: Effective, social and emotional learning programs: Middle and high school edition. Chicago, IL: Author. Retrieved from www.casel.org/guideGoogle Scholar
Cook, C. R., Burns, M., Browning-Wright, D., & Gresham, F. M. (2010). Transforming school psychology in the RTI era: A guide for administrators and school psychologists. Palm Beach, FL: LRP Publications.Google Scholar
Curtin, S. C., Warner, M., & Hedegaard, H. (2016). Increase in suicide in the United States, 1999–2014 (NCHS data brief No. 241). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Studies. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27111185Google Scholar
Eggert, L. L., Thompson, E. A., Herting, J. R., & Nicholas, L. J. (1995). Reducing suicide potential among high-risk youth: Test of a school-based prevention program. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 25, 276–296.Google Scholar
Eggert, L. L., Thompson, E. A., Herting, J. R., Nicholas, L. J., & Dicker, B. G. (1994). Preventing adolescent drug abuse and high school dropout through an intensive school-based social network development program. American Journal of Health Promotion, 8, 202–215. https://doi.org/10.4278/0890-1171-8.3.202CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Erbacher, T. A., Singer, J. B., & Poland, S. (2015). Suicide in schools: A practitioners guide to multi–level prevention, assessment, intervention, and postvention. New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Hart, S. (2012). Student suicide: Suicide postvention. In Brock, S.E. & Jimerson, S.R. (Eds.), Best practices in school crisis prevention and intervention, second edition (pp. 525–547). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.Google Scholar
Hayes, S. C., & Strosahl, K. D. (Eds.). (2004). A practical guide to acceptance and commitment therapy. Springer Science & Business Media.Google Scholar
Joiner, T. E. (2005). Why people die by suicide. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Joiner, T. E., Van Orden, K. A., Witte, T. K., & Rudd, D. M. (2009). The interpersonal theory of suicide: Guidance for working with suicidal clients. Washington DC: American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/11869-000CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kalafat, J. (2003). School approaches to youth suicide prevention. American Behavioral Scientist, 46, 1211–1223. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764202250665CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kalafat, J., Madden, M., Haley, D., & O’Halloran, S. (2007). Evaluation of Lifelines classes: A component of the school-community based Maine Youth Suicide Prevention Project. Report for NREPP. Unpublished manuscript. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/a/alaska.edu/guide-to-school-based-suicide-prevention-programs/lifelinesCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kann, L., Kinchen, S., Shanklin, S. L., et al., (2014). Youth risk behavior surveillance –United States, 2013. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: Surveillance Summaries, 63(4), 1–168. www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss6304a1.htmGoogle Scholar
Kataoka, S. H., Zhang, L., & Wells, K. B. (2002). Unmet need for mental health care among US children: Variation by ethnicity and insurance status. American Journal of Psychiatry, 159, 1548–1555. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.159.9.1548Google Scholar
LaFromboise, T. D. (1996). American Indian life skills development curriculum. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press.Google Scholar
LaFromboise, T., & Howard-Pitney, B. (1995). The Zuni life skills development curriculum: Description and evaluation of a suicide prevention program. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 42, 479–486. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.42.4.479Google Scholar
Linehan, M. M. (1993). Skills training manual for treating borderline personality disorder. New York, NY: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Linehan, M. M. (2015). DBT skills training manual (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
LoMurray, M. (2005). Sources of Strength facilitators guide: Suicide prevention peer gatekeeper training. Bismarck, ND: The North Dakota Suicide Prevention Project.Google Scholar
Mazza, J. J. (1997). School-based suicide prevention programs: Are they effective? School Psychology Review, 26, 382–396.Google Scholar
Mazza, J. J. (2006). Youth suicidal behavior: A crisis in need of attention. In Villarruel, F. A. & Luster, T. (Eds.), Adolescent mental health (pp. 156–177). Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group.Google Scholar
Mazza, J. J. (2016, February). A continuum of DBT services for school-based setting to address emotion regulation skills. Invited workshop presented at the national conference of the National Association of School Psychologists. New Orleans, LA.Google Scholar
Mazza, J. J., Dexter-Mazza, E. T., Murphy, H. E., Miller, A. L., & Rathus, J. L. (2016). Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving for Adolescents (STEPS-A). New York, NY: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Mazza, J. J., & Hanson, J. B. (2015, February). Implementing DBT Emotion Regulation Skills for Tier II-III Students. Invited workshop presented at the national conference of the National Association of School Psychologists. Orlando, FL.Google Scholar
Mazza, J. J., & Reynolds, W. M. (2008). School-wide approaches to prevention of and treatment for depression and suicidal behaviors. In Doll, B. & Cummings, J. A. (Eds.), Transforming school mental health services (pp. 213–241). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.Google Scholar
Miller, D. N. (2011). Child and adolescent suicidal behavior: School-based prevention, assessment, and intervention. New York, NY: Guilford.Google Scholar
Miller, D. N., Eckert, T. L., & Mazza, J. J. (2009). Suicide prevention programs in the schools: A review and public health perspective. School Psychology Review, 38, 168–188.Google Scholar
Miller, D. N., & Mazza, J. J. (2013). Suicide prevention programs in schools. In Lester, D. & Rogers, J. R. (Eds.), Suicide: A global issue, Volume 2: Prevention (pp. 109–134). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.Google Scholar
Miller, D. N., & Mazza, J. J. (2018). School-based suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. In Leschied, A, Saklofske, D., & Flett, G. (Eds.), Handbook of school-based mental health promotion (pp. 261–277). New York, NY: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89842-1_15Google Scholar
Murphy, S. L., Kochanek, K. D., Xu, J., & Arias, E. (2015). Mortality in the United States, 2014 (NCHS Data Brief No. 229). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.Google Scholar
Poland, S. (1989). Suicide intervention in the schools. New York, NY: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Rathus, J. H., & Miller, A. L. (2015). DBT skills manual for adolescents. New York, NY: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Reconnecting Youth. (2009). Reconnecting youth: A peer group approach to building life skills. Redmond, WA: Author.Google Scholar
Reynolds, W. M. (1991). A school-based procedure for the identification of students at–risk for suicidal behavior. Family and Community Health, 14, 64–75.Google Scholar
Robinson, J., Cox, G., Malone, A., et al. (2013). A systematic review of school–based interventions aimed at preventing, treating, and responding to suicide–related behavior in young people. Crisis, 34, 164–182. https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000168CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schilling, E. A., Aseltine, R. H., & James, A. (2016). The SOS suicide prevention program: Further evidence of efficacy and effectiveness. Prevention Sciences, 17, 157–166. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-015-0594-3Google Scholar
Schilling, E. A., Lawless, M., Buchanan, L., & Aseltine, R. H. (2014). Signs of Suicide (SOS) shows promise as a middle school suicide prevention program. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 44, 653–667. https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12097Google Scholar
Silverman, M. M. (2013). Defining suicide and suicidal behavior. In Lester, D. & Rogers, J. R. (Eds.), Suicide: A global issue, Volume 1: Understanding (pp. 1–30). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.Google Scholar
Suldo, S. M., & Shaffer, E. J. (2008). Looking beyond psychopathology: The dual-factor model of mental health in youth. School Psychology Review, 37, 52–68.Google Scholar
Underwood, M., & Kalafat, J. (2009). Lifelines: A suicide prevention program. Center City, MN: Hazelden Publishing.Google Scholar
US Department of Health and Human Services. (2001). National strategy for suicide prevention: Goals and objectives for action. Rockville, MD: Author.Google Scholar
Van Orden, K. A., Witte, T. K., Cukrowicz, K. C., et al. (2010). The interpersonal theory of suicide. Psychological Review, 117, 575–600. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018697Google Scholar
World Health Organization. (2014). Preventing suicide: A global imperative. Geneva, Switzerland: Author.Google Scholar
Wyman, P. A., Hendricks Brown, C., LoMurray, M., et al. (2010). An outcome evaluation of the Sources of Strength Suicide Prevention Program delivered by adolescent peer leaders in high schools. American Journal of Public Health, 100, 1653–1661. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2009.190025CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×