Let's Talk: Empowering teenagers through an innovative suicide prevention campaign

Montana has one of the highest suicide rates in the nation and the suicide rate for youths in 2010 and 2011 was double the national average.  In order to address this public health issue among teenagers, ages 14 to 18, an innovative suicide prevention campaign was piloted in Eastern Montana in 2012 and in Montana’s largest community in 2014.  The campaign used theater performances to give teenagers the opportunity to voice their experiences with suicide and depression and to facilitate open community dialogues with teenagers and adults. The project goals were to increase teenagers’ self-efficacy to access help, and to help peers confronting struggles with suicide and depression.  Results from the 2012 campaign showed that teenagers exposed to the campaign, pre-test (n = 224) and post-test (n = 217), had significantly higher self-efficacy for accessing prevention resources compared to those who reported no campaign exposure (pre-test mean = 2.80, SD = 1.43; post-test mean = 3.06, SD 1.1; p ≤ .05).  A significant increase also occurred in the percentage who said they would feel comfortable talking to someone else if a friend confided in them about suicidal thoughts or intentions (pre-test mean = 1.56, SD = 1.39; post-test mean = 1.96, SD = 1.02; p ≤.01).  Qualitative results from the 2014 campaign showed that teenage participants had increased self-efficacy for interpersonal communication about suicide and depression and increased awareness of suicide prevention resources.  The findings of these campaigns have the potential to inform future suicide prevention campaigns directed toward teenagers.