A Novel School-based Suicide Prevention Course for Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Objective: Mental health problems impact nearly one in four to five college students in Taiwan. Those who developed suicide risks may not have enough educational sources to facilitate help-seeking on campus. Education is an important primary strategy in suicide prevention at schools. The study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a course in the general education field that designed to promote suicide and mental health literacy among college students, and to explore the students' motivations to take this course. Methods: The course contains weekly thematic lectures and group discussions, assignments, and term reports in a semester of eighteen weeks. The pre- and post-course performances on the Suicide Myth Questionnaire and the five-item Brief Symptom Rating Scale were evaluated; the former assessed the respondents' knowledge and attitudes of suicide act and suicide prevention, and the latter rated mental distress level in the past 7 days via six questions inquiring psychological symptoms and suicide ideation. Results: The participants' motivations toward this class were to gain knowledge, to identify suicide risks, and to act as the gatekeepers. The course significantly enhanced their abilities to correctly perceive suicide risks and help-seeking needs, while non-significantly changed their knowledge of suicide ideation and risk management. The overall effects toward suicide myths clarification and mental distress fluctuations after course were significant, with the latter effect more on the males than the females. Conclusions: School-based suicide prevention courses targeted at the undergraduates may be effective in promoting suicide-related knowledge, prevention attitudes, and positive emotions for college students. More courses in these topics are encouraged to be developed and to validate the findings of the study.