Outcome Impact of a Structured Suicide Prevention Training Program on a College Campus

Abstract

This study assessed the outcome impact of providing a structured suicide prevention program to selected student, faculty, and staff audiences at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. We first reviewed the Oshkosh Suicide Prevention Survey and the Youth Risk Behavior Scale Suicide Items, and then integrated demographic questions into both of these pre-existing surveys. These surveys were then used in a pilot study with a sample of convenience to assess the survey's utility. We then incorporated this into a suicide prevention training program which was administered to 144 resident assistants on campus; using the scales first as a pretest and later as a posttest to evaluate the program. The data gathered was then tabulated to assess the degree of impact of the suicide prevention training program, and to help the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire counseling services refine its suicide prevention training on campus.