Suicide postvention practices in schools: School psychologists' experiences, training, and knowledge

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Education

Background:

• Suicide is a leading cause of death for school-aged youth.
• Adolescent and young adult populations are at high risk for suicide clusters and contagion.
• Schools' preparedness for postvention services remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess school psychologists' training, experience, and access to protocols for suicide postvention.
• To evaluate their competency in preventing suicide contagion effects.
• To identify factors associated with perceived postvention competence.

Main Methods:

• Surveyed 111 school psychologists in North Carolina using the Perceived Postvention Competency Survey.
• Conducted descriptive and multivariate analyses.
• Assessed knowledge, preparedness, confidence, and self-efficacy in postvention.

Main Results:

• Over half of respondents reported limited knowledge and confidence in suicide postvention.
• Competency in preventing suicide contagion effects was even lower.
• Formal training and years of experience were linked to higher perceived knowledge and self-efficacy.

Conclusions:

• Many school psychologists feel unprepared to handle suicide postvention and contagion.
• Targeted training and protocol development are needed to improve school-based suicide prevention efforts.
• Further research is recommended to build upon these findings.