Effectiveness of a Suicide Prevention Educational Package Based on the Lived Experiences of Suicide-Attempting Students on Suicidal Thoughts in Adolescent Girls

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a suicide prevention educational package based on the lived experiences of suicide-attempting students on suicidal thoughts among adolescent girls. This quasi-experimental study followed a pre-test–post-test design with a control group. The statistical population included all lower secondary female students in Delfan County during the 2023–2024 academic year who had a history of suicide attempts. Thirty participants were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (15 each). The Beck Suicide Ideation Questionnaire (1961) was used as the data collection tool. The experimental group participated in twelve 90-minute sessions of a lived-experience-based suicide prevention educational program, while the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using univariate ANCOVA in SPSS version 26. The ANCOVA results revealed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in post-test suicidal ideation scores after controlling for pre-test effects (F(1,27)=71.182, p≤0.001). The effect size (η²=0.725) indicated that approximately 72% of the variance in post-test scores was due to the educational intervention. The intervention significantly reduced suicidal thoughts among the participants in the experimental group. The findings indicated that the lived-experience-based educational package effectively reduced suicidal ideation by enhancing meaning in life, social support, and psychological resilience. Implementing such culturally grounded and experience-oriented interventions in schools can play a crucial role in promoting adolescent mental health and preventing suicide