Open access

School-Based Suicide Prevention through Gatekeeper Training: The Role of Natural Leaders

Publication: Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
12 August 2022

Abstract

One Tier 2 approach to school-based youth suicide prevention is gatekeeper training, where teachers and school staff learn to respond to students in distress. Although promising, implementation-sensitive prevention efforts could be advanced by providing additional training to natural leaders in the school building, so they can support and coach others. The purpose of this study is to describe the development and initial mixed-methods pilot evaluation of a natural leader training to support the real-world implementation of QPR® gatekeeper training, a Tier 2 (selective) intervention. This study underscores the importance of creating implementation approaches to meet the needs of real-world school contexts.

Résumé

Une approche de niveau 2 destinée à la prévention du suicide chez les jeunes en milieu scolaire repose sur la formation de personnes-ressources, comme les professeurs et le personnel scolaire, pour leur apprendre à répondre aux étudiants en détresse. Tout en étant prometteurs, les efforts de prévention axés sur la mise en œuvre de cette approche pourraient être améliorés en dispensant une formation supplémentaire aux leaders naturels au sein même de l’école, de manière à accompagner et former d’autres personnes. L’objectif de cette étude est de décrire le développement et l’évaluation pilote initiale type fondée sur des méthodes mixtes de la formation d’un leader naturel pour accompagner l’implantation sur le terrain de QPR® gatekeeper training, une intervention (sélective) de niveau 2. Cette étude souligne l’importance de mettre en place des approches afin de mieux répondre aux besoins sur le terrain en milieu scolaire.

Formats available

You can view the full content in the following formats:

References

Arango A., Gipson P. Y., Votta J. G., and King C. A. 2021 Saving lives: Recognizing and intervening with youth at risk for suicide Annual Review of Clinical Psychology 17 259 -284 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-081219-103740
Atkins M. S., Frazier S. L., Leathers S. J., Graczyk P. A., Talbott E., Jakobsons L., Abdul-Adil J., Marinez-Lora A., Demirtas H., Gibbons R. B., and Bell C. C. 2008 Teacher key opinion leaders and mental health consultation in low-income urban schools Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 76 5 905 -908 https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013036
Austin A., Craig S. L., D’Souza S., and McInroy L. B. 2020 Suicidality among transgender youth: Elucidating the role of interpersonal risk factors Journal of Interpersonal Violence Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520915554
Baker, E., Matejko, E., Exner-Cortens, D., Wright, A., Lee, L., & Lund, D. (2022). Training education and social work students to prevent adolescent dating violence through a social justice lens. Manuscript in preparation.
Brion-Meisels G. 2014 “Can I trust you with this?” Investigating middle school students’ use of learning supports Urban Education 50 6 718 -749 https://doi.org/10.1177/004208591452788
Burke J. G., Lich K. H., Neal J. W., Meissner H. I., Yonas M., and Mabry P. L. 2015 Enhancing dissemination and implementation research using systems science methods International Journal of Behavioral Medicine 22 3 283 -291
Chandler M. J. and Lalonde C. 1998 Cultural continuity as a hedge against suicide in Canada’s First Nations Transcultural Psychiatry 35 2 191 -219 https://doi.org/10.1177/136346159803500202
Children First Canada. (2021). Raising Canada 2021 – Top 10 threats to childhood in Canada: Recovering from the impacts of COVID-19. https://childrenfirstcanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/CFC-RC-Report-2021_Final.pdf
Coleman D. and Quest A. D. 2015 Science from evaluation: Testing hypotheses about differential effects of three youth-focused suicide prevention trainings Social Work in Public Health 30 2 117 -128 https://doi.org/10.1080/19371918.2014.938397
Cross W. F., Seaburn D., Gibbs D., Schmeelk-Cone K., White A. M., and Caine E. D. 2011 Does practice make perfect? A randomized control trial of behavioral rehearsal on suicide prevention gatekeeper skills The Journal of Primary Prevention 32 3–4 195 -211 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-011-0250-z
Exner-Cortens, D., Conde, C. F., Haines-Saah, R., Lee, M., Pawluk, C., & Owens, J. S. (2022). Peer coaching to support implementation of the Daily Report Card. Online program in a Canadian context: A case study. Manuscript in preparation.
Damschroder L. J., Aron D. C., Keith R. E., Kirsh S. R., Alexander J. A., and Lowery J. C. 2009 Fostering implementation of health services research findings into practice: A consolidated framework for advancing implementation science Implementation Science 4 1 1 -15 https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-4-50
Evans J., Frank B., Oliffe J. L., and Gregory D. 2011 Health, illness, men and masculinities (HIMM): A theoretical framework for understanding men and their health American Journal of Men’s Health 8 1 7 -15 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jomh.2010.09.227
Freedenthal S. and Breslin L. 2010 High school teachers’ experiences with suicidal students: A descriptive study Journal of Loss and Trauma 15 2 83 -92 https://doi.org/10.1080/15325020902928625
Ghoncheh R., Gould M. S., Twisk J. W. R., Kerkhof A., and Koot H. M. 2016 Efficacy of adolescent suicide prevention e-learning modules for gatekeepers: A randomized controlled trial JMIR Mental Health 3 1 e8 https://doi.org/10.2196/mental.4614
Gould M. S., Marrocco F. A., Hoagwood K., Kleinman M., Amakawa L., and Altschuler E. 2009 Service use by at-risk youth after school-based suicide screening Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 48 12 1193 -1201 https://doi.org/10.1097/CHI.0b013e3181bef6d5
Han S. S. and Weiss B. 2005 Sustainability of teacher implementation of school-based mental health programs Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 33 6 665 -679 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-005-7646-2
Hanneman, R. A. & Riddle, M. (2005). Introduction to Social Network Methods. University of California, Riverside. http://faculty.ucr.edu/~hanneman/nettext/
Hatton V., Heath M. A., Gibb G. S., Coyne S., Hudnall G., and Bledsoe C. 2017 Secondary teachers’ perceptions of their role in suicide prevention and intervention School Mental Health: A Multidisciplinary Research and Practice Journal 9 1 97 -116 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-015-9173-9
Katoaka S., Stein B. D., Nadeem E., and Wong M. 2007 Who gets care? Mental health service use following a schoolbased suicide prevention program Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 46 10 1341 -1348 https://doi.org/10.1097/chi.0b013e31813761fd
Lewis L. M. 2007 No-harm contracts: A review of what we know Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 37 1 50 -57 https://doi.org/10.1521/suli.2007.37.1.50
McCulloh, I., Armstrong, H., & Johnson, A. (2013). Centrality measures. In Social Network Analysis with Applications (pp. 29–67). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Middlebrook D. L., LeMaster P. L., Beals J., Novins D. K., and Manson S. M. 2001 Suicide prevention in American Indian and Alaska Native communities: A critical review of programs Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 31 132 -149
Mo P. K. H., Ko T. T., and Xin M. Q. 2018 School-based gatekeeper training programmes in enhancing gatekeepers’ cognitions and behaviours for adolescent suicide prevention: A systematic review Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health 12 29 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-018-0233-4
Nadeem E., Katoaka S. H., Chang V. Y., Vona P., Wong M., and Stein B. D. 2011 The role of teachers in schoolbased suicide prevention: A qualitative study of school staff perspectives School Mental Health 3 209 -221 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-011-9056-7
Opara I., Assan M. A., Pierre K., Gunn J. F., Metzger I., Hamilton J., and Arugu E. 2020 Suicide among Black children: An integrated model of the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide and intersectionality theory for researchers and clinicians Journal of Black Studies 51 6 611 -631 https://doi.org/10.1177/0021934720935641
Pistone I., Beckman U., Eriksson E., Lagerlöf H., and Sager M. 2019 The effects of educational interventions on suicide: A systematic review and meta-analysis International Journal of Social Psychiatry 65 5 399 -412 https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764019852655
Reis C. and Cornell D. 2008 An evaluation of suicide gatekeeper training for school counselors and teachers Professional School Counseling 11 6 386 -394 https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X0801100605
Robinson J., Cox G., Malone A., Williamson M., Baldwin G., Fletcher K., and O’Brien M. 2013 A systematic review of school-based interventions aimed at preventing, treating, and responding to suicide-related behavior in young people Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention 34 3 164 -182 https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000168
Robinson J., Bailey E., Witt K., Stefanac N., Milner A., Currier D., and Hetrick S. 2018 What works in youth suicide prevention? A systematic review and meta-analysis EClinicalMedicine 4-5 52 -91 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2018.10.004
Robinson-Link N., Hoover S., Bernstein L., Lever N., Maton K., and Wilcox H. 2020 Is gatekeeper training enough for suicide prevention? School Mental Health 12 239 -249 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-019-09345-x
Saldaña, J. (2013). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. SAGE Publications Inc.
Scherff A. R., Eckert T. L., and Miller D. N. 2005 Youth suicide prevention: A survey of public school superintendents’ acceptability of school-based programs Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 35 2 154 -169 https://doi.org/10.1521/suli.35.2.154.62874
Shtivelband A., Aloise-Young P. A., and Chen P. Y. 2015 Sustaining the effects of gatekeeper suicide prevention training: A qualitative study Crisis 36 2 102 -109 https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000304
Tompkins T. L., Witt J., and Abraibesh N. 2009 Does a gatekeeper suicide prevention program work in a school setting? Evaluating training outcome and moderators of effectiveness Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 40 5 506 -515 https://doi.org/10.1521/suli.2010.40.5.506
Westefeld J. S., Kettmann J. D. J., Lovmo C., and Hey C. 2007 High school suicide: Knowledge and opinions of teachers Journal of Loss & Trauma 12 1 31 -42 https://doi.org/10.1080/15325020600757839
Wyman P. A., Brown C. H., Inman J., Cross W., Schmeelk-Cone K., Guo J., and Pena J. B. 2008 Randomized trial of a gatekeeper program for youth suicide prevention: 1-year impact on secondary school staff Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 76 1 104 -115 https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.76.1.104
Zalsman G., Hawton K., Wasserman D., van Heeringen K., Arensman E., Sarchiapone M., and Purebl G. 2016 Suicide prevention strategies revisited: 10-year systematic review The Lancet Psychiatry 3 7 646 -659 https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(16)30030-X

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

cover image Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
Volume 41Number 3July 2022
Pages: 176 - 195

History

Version of record online: 12 August 2022

Key Words

  1. suicide prevention
  2. youth
  3. gatekeeper training
  4. implementation

Mots-clés

  1. prévention suicide
  2. jeune
  3. formation personne-ressource
  4. implantation

Authors

Affiliations

Deinera Exner-Cortens [email protected]
Elizabeth Baker
Cristina Fernandez Conde
Marisa Van Bavel
Mili Roy
Chris Pawluk
Rocky View Schools, Airdrie, AB

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Other Metrics

Citations

Cite As

Export Citations

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

There are no citations for this item

View Options

View options

PDF

View PDF

Get Access

Login options

Check if you access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.

Subscribe

Click on the button below to subscribe to Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health

Purchase options

Purchase this article to get full access to it.

Restore your content access

Enter your email address to restore your content access:

Note: This functionality works only for purchases done as a guest. If you already have an account, log in to access the content to which you are entitled.

Media

Media

Other

Tables

Share Options

Share

Share the article link

Share on social media