Suicide Awareness, Prevention, and Intervention Education of Middle School Teachers in North Carolina
Public Deposited- Last Modified
- February 26, 2019
- Creator
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Walsh, Melissa M.
- Affiliation: School of Education
- Abstract
- Suicide is the second leading cause of death for fifteen to thirty-four year olds and the third leading cause for individuals aged ten to fourteen. Research suggests that community-based trainings and overall willingness to discuss the topic of suicide leads to a decrease in suicidal behaviors and attempts in the teenage population. The majority of suicide prevention programs are targeted at the high school population, though experts suggest that earlier intervention in middle school could help in reducing the amount of youth suicide. This research attempted to gauge current attitudes towards suicide prevention in middle schools. One hundred and twenty-five middle school teachers from across the state of North Carolina were surveyed on their attitude about how important of an issue youth suicide was in their experience, the climate of their current school at addressing suicide, the amount of training they have received over the course of their career to equip them with dealing with the topic of suicide with their students, and what suggestions they had for improving teacher development on the topic. Results showed that teachers recognized that they served as important emotional supports and advocates for their students, they were not extremely confident in identifying or approaching students who may be suicidal, and they desired more professional development and training in the area of suicide prevention and intervention. This information can help to reform policy in training administration, teachers, and pre-service teachers as it pertains to mental health in general, and to help develop suicide intervention programs.
- Date of publication
- spring 2017
- Keyword
- DOI
- Resource type
- Rights statement
- In Copyright
- Note
- Funding: None
- Advisor
- Walter, Meghan
- Degree
- Bachelor of Arts
- Honors level
- Honors
- Degree granting institution
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Extent
- 73
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