Citation

Roberts DC, Taylor ME, Pyle AD. NASN Sch. Nurse 2018; 33(3): 168-176.

Affiliation

The Menninger Clinic, Houston, Texas.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, National Association of School Nurses, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1942602X18766499

PMID

29658849

Abstract

A knowledge gap exists in school communities regarding suicide prevention and means reduction education. The article highlights two core interrelated topics: school nurse engagement in dialogue with students' families and the implementation of an innovative, community-based suicide prevention educational program at a suburban public school district. The authors provide an overview of the public health problem of suicide for students, current student challenges, role of the school nurse in suicide prevention, and a key gap in current school nursing practice. At the request of the school counselors and principal, an innovative suicide prevention educational program was initiated as a community-based project at a large suburban public school district in Texas. The two overarching goals for this community-based collaboration are the following: school nurses will engage in frank, productive conversations with students' parents and families about suicidality concerns and increase the school community's knowledge about suicide prevention. This school community knowledge includes effective risk mitigation and means reduction strategies to better manage suicidality in students. Ultimately, this ongoing family and school community collaboration aims to prevent student deaths by suicide.

Language: en

Keywords

family and school community; health education; means reduction; school nurses; suicide prevention