Understanding School-Based Universal Suicide Screening Strategies for Minoritized Students: A Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Adolescent Psychology
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Suicide is a leading cause of death for young people aged 10-24 in the US.
• Black youth are disproportionately affected by suicides, and rates are increasing among Hispanic youth, particularly females.
• Mental health stigma within racialized communities hinders help-seeking behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify effective school-based suicide risk screening and interventions for Black and Hispanic students.
• To gather youth and caregiver perceptions on school and community resources.
• To develop a messaging campaign to promote help-seeking and reduce stigma.

Main Methods:

• Gathered qualitative data on resource perceptions from youth and caregivers.
• Developed and implemented a messaging campaign in schools.
• Conducted a pilot universal suicide screening using the Ask Suicide Screening Questionnaire (ASQ) in two diverse urban schools.

Main Results:

• Culturally informed universal screening identified students at risk for suicide who were not previously known to school staff.
• This screening method was particularly effective in identifying students of color.
• Universal screening identified at-risk students missed by traditional need-based screening.

Conclusions:

• Culturally informed universal suicide risk screening in schools is vital for identifying at-risk minoritized students.
• This approach can facilitate timely intervention and support for students, especially those of color.
• Universal screening complements existing need-based processes to improve student mental health outcomes.