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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: Adolescent suicide is a significant issue due to the long-term upward trend in global prevalence. The adolescents' mental health development depends on personal and environmental factors such as parenting styles. Moreover, parents and teachers build the bridge between school and home to promote students' well-being. However, limited evidence was identified regarding parental perspectives on campus suicide prevention and mental health promotion.
METHOD: This qualitative study was conducted via a focus group design with a semi-structured interview during the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2021. Convenience sampling was applied through Facebook advertisements to recruit parents around different areas in Taiwan. Both in-person and virtual focus group interview methods were adopted to encourage people from geographical remoteness to share their opinions. An interview guide with three open-ended questions was used. Data were analyzed using the content analysis technique.
RESULTS: A total of 11 parents participated in this study (4 in-person and 7 online, with 1 male and 10 females). The participants expressed many challenges and barriers to school mental health promotion and suicide prevention, such as poor teacher-parent relationships, potential parent-child problems, and parents' perceived stigma of seeking mental health services. They also provided their perspectives on teaching materials and suicide prevention strategies, including the provision of peer pressure, stress management, self-awareness, and the introduction of courses related to mental illnesses.
CONCLUSION: The parent is committed to the children's health, welfare, and safety. Both parents and teachers play vital roles in campus suicide prevention. However, positive two-way communication between families and schools and sophisticated school strategies for parental collaboration in illness identification and treatment are necessary for students' well-being and suicide prevention.
Language: zh |