Caregivers' efficacy to address suicidality in their child/ren

Suicide is a leading cause of death among children in the United States, and suicide rates among youth have continually risen over the past decade. As caregivers play critical roles in suicide prevention, the present study examined factors contributing to self-efficacy in addressing child suicidality. Caregivers (N = 170) answered a 17-question instrument about (a) self-efficacy to assist a child with suicidal ideation and (b) readiness beliefs about suicide and children. Further, participants completed a demographic questionnaire that included their experience with mental health support, mental health, and suicide training and their child/ren's experiences related to suicide. Participants' beliefs about childhood experiences of suicidality were predictive of their self-efficacy to intervene in experiences related to suicide with their own child/ren. Among participants with mental health or suicide-specific training, beliefs were more predictive of their self-efficacy to aid their child expressing suicidal ideation or behaviors than those who had no mental health or suicide training. Those with suicide training predicted a greater variance in the dependent score, self-efficacy. The results suggest that caregivers' training directly impacts their self-efficacy to best support their children. Opportunities for psychoeducational training about suicide should be increased and made readily available to caregivers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).