Levels of responsibility in school-based suicide prevention: Legal requirements, ethical duties, and best practices.

A paper based on a workshop presented to the Suicide Prevention Australia conference, ‘Suicide. Who Cares?’, on 15 March 1995 in Sydney Objective: To present arguments for and against the provision of curriculum-based suicide prevention programs in schools. Method: The authors developed their arguments independently, based on the available literature on school-based programs, prior to debating the topic at a national conference on suicide prevention. Results: The rationale for school-based programs is that the school has the responsibility: to resolve problems that interfere with education; to teach health education; and to acknowledge a duty of care to parents and to the community as well as to youth. Primary prevention programs in schools are not aimed at so-called ‘at-risk’ students, but potential ‘helpers’, based on the knowledge that peers are a primary support for troubled adolescents. One measure of the efficacy of school-based prevention programs must be the extent to which there is an increase in the tendency for adolescents to turn to adults for help. There is ample evidence that increasing the tendency for adolescents to approach adults for help is achievable. The argument against such programs is that evidence from evaluation research suggests that they are ineffective, inefficient, not universally acceptable, and of questionable safety. Conclusions: Those persuaded by the positive argument will wish to see these programs adopted in all Australian secondary schools. Those persuaded by the negative argument will recommend that suicide prevention resources be allocated to activities other than school-based suicide education programs.

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Suicide prevention in educational settings: a review

Australasian Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/1039856218759406 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 132-140 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Jo Robinson ◽

Alison L Calear ◽

Eleanor Bailey

Keyword(s):

Suicide Prevention ◽

Randomised Controlled Trials ◽

Future Research ◽

Controlled Trials ◽

Educational Settings ◽

Positive Effects ◽

School Settings ◽

School Based ◽

Randomised Controlled ◽

The University

Objectives: Youth suicide rates are unacceptably high. Schools have long been accepted as an appropriate setting for suicide prevention activities. This review aims to synthesise the evidence for all types of suicide prevention interventions across educational settings. Methods: The review draws on two previous reviews conducted by the authors. In order to be included, studies had to test a specific suicide prevention intervention in an educational setting, have a suicide-related outcome and target young people. Results: A totally of 21 studies were included: 17 were conducted in school settings and four in universities. Seven of the school-based studies (41%) and one of the university studies (25%) were randomised controlled trials. Overall, the trials conducted in schools reported positive effects, as did four of the non- randomised controlled trials. Two of the university-based studies reported positive effects. Both universal and indicated interventions showed positive results; no iatrogenic effects were reported. Conclusions: School-based studies can have a positive impact on suicide-related behaviour and, overall, do not appear to cause harm. Study quality is variable, and the number of studies conducted in school settings far exceed those conducted in universities. These gaps need to be addressed by future research.

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Early Identification and Intervention for Youth with Antisocial and Violent Behavior

Council review ◽

10.1177/001440290006600307 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 66 (3) ◽

pp. 367-379 ◽

Cited By ~ 82

Author(s):

Jeffrey Sprague ◽

Hill Walker

Keyword(s):

Best Practices ◽

Antisocial Behavior ◽

Early Identification ◽

Behavior Pattern ◽

Violent Behavior ◽

Children And Youth ◽

School Based ◽

Integrated Approaches ◽

Research Based Practices ◽

The Relationship

This article addresses the growing problem of antisocial behavior in schools and its impact on safety, effectiveness, and ecology. We describe the factors leading to the development of antisocial behavior in children and youth. We explore the relationship between early investment in an antisocial behavior pattern and later negative outcomes including school failure, delinquency, and violence. The article also focuses on best practices in the areas of screening and early intervention for antisocial children and youth and those who are at risk for adopting this behavior pattern. Recommendations are made regarding research-based practices, tools, and approaches in both screening and intervention. A model for integrated approaches to school-based prevention of antisocial behavior is presented and the implications of such a model are discussed.

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Implicit Bias and Multilingual Assessment in School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/2021_persp-21-00113 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-15

Author(s):

Marisa Nelson ◽

Laura Wilson

Keyword(s):

Clinical Practice ◽

Best Practices ◽

Implicit Association Test ◽

Implicit Bias ◽

Demographic Factors ◽

Speech Language Pathologists ◽

Attitudes Toward Immigrants ◽

School Based ◽

Implicit Biases ◽

The Impact

Purpose: The purpose of this research was (a) to examine school-based speech-language pathologists' (SLPs') implicit attitudes toward immigrants and how these relate to prioritization and use of best practices when assessing multilingual children and (b) to determine if key demographic factors relate to the use and prioritization of these best practices. Method: Eighty-six certified SLPs ranked how they prioritize and use best practices in multilingual assessments and completed an online immigrant Implicit Association Test. Results: The majority of participants exhibited a strong implicit bias against immigrants (median D-score of 0.84, interquartile range: 0.49), but no significant relationship was found between increasing bias and lower prioritization or use of best practices. Increased years working as an SLP and increasingly distant personal relationships to immigration were related to lower prioritization and use of some best practices. An unexpected association included increased reported use of interpreters with increasing implicit bias against immigrants. Conclusions: This research found a strong implicit bias against immigrants among participating school-based SLPs, consistent with previous work detailing health professionals' preferences for ingroups over outgroups. It adds to the call for further research into the impact of implicit biases on clinical practice, and the methods and merits of addressing implicit biases in targeted populations such as SLPs. This study also identified demographic factors associated with decreased prioritization and use of certain best practices when assessing multilingual children. More work is needed to learn how to mitigate these factors to ensure culturally sensitive clinical practice. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.16799638

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School-Based Suicide Prevention Programming

Suicide, Self-Injury, and Violence in the Schools ◽

10.1002/9781118269725.ch2 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 21-51

Keyword(s):

Suicide Prevention ◽

Prevention Programming ◽

School Based

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Suicide

Landmark Papers in Psychiatry ◽

10.1093/med/9780198836506.003.0022 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 363-380

Author(s):

Danuta Wasserman ◽

Marcus Sokolowski ◽

Vladimir Carli

Keyword(s):

Suicide Prevention ◽

Cause Of Death ◽

Suicidal Behaviour ◽

Physician Education ◽

Future Research ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Prevention Strategies ◽

Iatrogenic Effects ◽

School Based ◽

Prevention Programmes

Suicide is a leading cause of death and is preventable. This chapter identifies landmark papers from three areas within the field of suicide prevention that are important for trainees, experienced clinicians, and policymakers alike. Firstly, it reviews papers on evidence-based suicide prevention strategies. Physician education, pharmacological and psychotherapy treatments, school-based suicide prevention programmes, and means of suicide restriction are found to be effective in preventing suicidal behaviours. Suicide prevention strategies that require further research on efficacy are identified, along with directions for future research. Secondly, several papers are analysed providing evidence that talking about suicide does not cause iatrogenic effects. Suicide research and prevention should not be hindered due to unsubstantiated concerns. Lastly, a paper discussing the genetics of suicidal behaviour provides an understanding of the diathesis of suicide. These landmark papers highlight the importance of suicide prevention and inform future research.

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Research and Best Practices to Support Students with Incarcerated Parents

Supporting and Educating Traumatized Students ◽

10.1093/med-psych/9780190052737.003.0009 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 165-180

Author(s):

Megan Sullivan

Keyword(s):

Best Practices ◽

Well Being ◽

Parental Incarceration ◽

Small Scale ◽

Children Of Incarcerated Parents ◽

Incarcerated Parents ◽

School Based ◽

Need Support ◽

Support Students ◽

The Relationship

The understanding of the relationship between a parent’s incarceration and a child’s outcomes has continued to evolve since the 1950s. Until very recently, however, most researchers have undertaken small-scale studies focused on the period when the parent is imprisoned, and most advocates and practitioners have had few resources at their disposal. All educators benefit from understanding how and why children of incarcerated parents may need support and from recognizing gaps in research. This chapter addresses developmental and other associated outcomes of parental incarceration and offers concrete practices schools can use to support children. In order to most effectively help students, school-based professionals should recognize the myriad ways parental incarceration impacts children’s emotional, physical, social and academic well-being.

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