Effectiveness of Suicide Prevention Education Among Students: An Original Research Study

Abstract

Introduction: Suicide is a major public health concern and one of the leading causes of mortality for adolescents and young adults worldwide. Ignorance of warning signs, risk factors, and available support choices is the cause of students' delayed help-seeking behavior. Educational programs with a suicide prevention focus can increase awareness, alter attitudes, and encourage timely use of mental health resources. The current study's objective was to assess how well students' attitudes and knowledge regarding suicide prevention were impacted by a structured suicide prevention education program.

Methodology: The study employed a quantitative pre-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design. The survey included one hundred students from specific senior secondary schools in Bihar. The participants were selected using a non-probability convenience sampling technique. Data was gathered using an attitude scale on suicide prevention and a structured knowledge questionnaire. Following the pretest, a structured education program on suicide prevention was administered. The posttest was given seven days after the intervention. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used in the data analysis process.

Results: According to the pretest results, 58% of students lacked sufficient information about suicide prevention; however, following the educational intervention, 74% showed sufficient knowledge. The average pretest and posttest knowledge scores were 15.82±4.34 and 29.08±3.62, respectively. At p<0.001, the computed t-value of 24.78 was statistically significant. After the session, attitude scores also considerably improved.

Conclusion: The structured suicide prevention education program increased students' attitudes and comprehension of suicide prevention. School health programs should incorporate instructional interventions to promote early help-seeking behavior and mental health awareness.