Understanding School-Based Universal Suicide Screening Strategies for Minoritized Students: A Pilot Study.

Abstract

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents and young people ages 10 to 24, claiming more than 6,000 young lives in the United States in 2019. Black youth in the United States are overrepresented in the overall makeup of suicides: 37% of all youth suicides in the United States involve Black children, while Black children comprise roughly 15% of the total youth population in the United States. At the same time, suicide among Hispanic youth, specifically Hispanic young females, is increasing. The purpose of this study was twofold. First, we aimed to determine relevant and appropriate school-based suicide risk screening practices and interventions for Black and Hispanic students in an urban school district setting. As part of this aim, we gathered information from youth and their caregivers on perceptions of school-based and community-based resources and supports to inform our efforts. We also used the information to develop a small messaging campaign within target schools to promote help-seeking and reduce stigma among students. Second, we implemented and evaluated a universal suicide screening pilot, using the Ask Suicide Screening Questionnaire (ASQ), within two diverse schools in a large urban school district. We found that culturally informed universal screening for suicide risk in the school setting, as compared with need-based screening, identified students who were not already known by school staff to be experiencing mental health challenges or at risk for suicide, and particularly students of color. This study highlights the importance of culturally informed universal suicide risk screening in schools, particularly for minoritized students such as Black and Hispanic youth. Introduction: KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE: •Suicide is increasing among minoritized youth while rates among White youth are steady or decreasing. • Mental health is stigmatized within racialized communities, which can inhibit disclosure of mental health challenges and help-seeking. • Our study found that culturally informed universal screening for suicide risk in the school setting, as compared with need-based screening, identified students who were not already known by school staff to be experiencing mental health challenges or at risk for suicide, and particularly students of color. • Our findings demonstrate that universal suicide screening may be an important step to identify at-risk students who might not be detected through existing need-based processes, thus potentially enabling timely intervention and support.