The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #58847

Sahily de Castro, MHSA, Health Services Administration - School of Policy and Management, Florida International University, 11200 S.W. 8th Street, University Park -- PCA 367B, Miami, FL 33199, Frederick L. Newman, PhD, Health Services Administration -- School of Policy and Management, Florida International University, 11200 S.W. 8th Street, University Park PCA 367B, Miami, FL 33199, 305-348-0426, newmanf@fiu.edu, and C. Gerry Mills, PhD, Stetson School of Business and Economics, Mercer University, 3001 Mercer University Drive, Atlanta, GA 30341.

A meta-analysis was performed on general suicide education and peer support suicide prevention programs designed for youth to estimate the potential effectiveness of each program. Eleven studies met inclusion criteria and the outcome of the meta-analysis yielded small to medium effect sizes, such that those exposed to either suicide prevention programs presented a success rate of 57% to 60% when compared to a control group. The results support the effectiveness of both interventions and a review of the procedures employed clearly indicate future research directions where the assumptions can be empirically validated and would result in fewer limits on inferences about the findings.

Learning Objectives:

• Those listening to the paper will be able to realize that there are two preventive interventions that have moderately large effect sizes, although the number of studies are quite small.

Keywords: Suicide, Prevention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Not applicable
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.