Citation

Keller DP, Schut LJA, Puddy RW, Williams L, Stephens RL, McKeon R, Lubell K. Prof. Psychol. Res. Pr. 2009; 40(2): 126-133.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/a0014889

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Youth suicide remains a significant public health problem in the United States. In 2004, the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act provided states and tribes with funding to implement and evaluate youth suicide prevention programs. The Tennessee Lives Count project was developed through a collaborative model at the state level and delivers an enhanced version of the Question, Persuade, Refer gatekeeper training program to individuals working with youth across the state. This article describes the development of the project and preliminary outcomes of 416 participants in child welfare, juvenile justice, health, and education systems at pretest, posttest, and 6-month follow-up. The findings suggest the training has an immediate and long-term impact on perceived knowledge of suicide prevention, self-efficacy, and attitudes about the inevitability of suicide. Policy and practice implications are presented. © 2009 American Psychological Association.

Language: en

Keywords

suicide prevention; juvenile justice; child welfare; education; gatekeeper training; public health nursing