Service Use by At-Risk Youths After School-Based Suicide Screening

• NCJ Number: 228921
• Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 48 Issue: 12 Dated: December 2009 Pages: 1193-1201
• Author(s): Madelyn S. Gould, Ph.D., M.P.H.; Frank A. Marrocco, Ph.D.; Kimberly Hoagwood, Ph.D.; Marjorie Kleinman, M.S.; Lia Amakawa, M.A.; Elizabeth Altschuler, M.A.
• Date Published: December 2009
• Length: 9 pages
• Grant Number(s): R49 CE000258; R01-MH64632
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Mental Health; Ctr's for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the use of follow-up services by students identified in a school-based screening program as at risk for suicidal behavior, and it identified youths' and parents' perceptions of barriers to seeking services.

Abstract

The study found that screening is apparently effective in improving the likelihood that students at risk for suicidal behavior will seek treatment; however, nearly one-third of the at-risk students still did not enter treatment; and only one-fourth of students who sought treatment did so within a month of the screening, indicating that the timeliness of treatment is also a concern. Well-developed and systematic planning is needed in order to ensure that screening and referral services are coordinated in guiding youth into timely treatment. Whether or not at-risk youth entered treatment depended on the perceptions and actions of key adults, as well as youths' perceptions of the severity of their condition. This is reflected in the finding that the most prevalent barriers to service use were primarily related to parents' and youths' perceptions of the youth's mental health problem. Some perceived that the problem would get better without treatment or through self-help or help by the family. This finding suggests that screening programs should include education of the parents and students about the validity and objectives of the screening process and the implications of screening findings for the need to enter mental health treatment. This was a longitudinal study of 317 at-risk youths identified by a school-based suicide screening in 6 high schools in New York State. The students identified as at-risk for suicidal behavior and their parents were interviewed approximately 2 years after the initial screen in order to assess service use during the intervening period, as well as to obtain their views on barriers that might have influenced their decision not to enter treatment. 4 tables and 49 references