A SYSTEMATIC OVERVIEW OF ADOLESCENT SUICIDE-PREVENTION PROGRAMS

The purpose of this systematic overview was to summarize evidence abou t the effectiveness of adolescent suicide prevention curricula program s. A comprehensive search of published and unpublished literature resu lted in retrieval of 11 relevant studies. The findings of this overvie w indicate that there is currently insufficient evidence to support cu rriculum-based suicide prevention programs. The evidence suggests that there may be both beneficial and harmful effects of the programs on s tudents. In most studies, knowledge related to suicide improved as a r esult of the programs. However, studies found both beneficial and harm ful effects on attitudes related to suicide. One study found an increa se in hopelessness and maladaptive coping for males following the inte rvention. The literature suggests that more broadly based comprehensiv e school health programs should be evaluated for their effectiveness i n addressing the determinants of adolescent risk behaviour.