Suicide and the Role of Educational Institutions: A 30-Year Systematic Review

Abstract

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the 15–29 age group worldwide, and is a severe public health problem worldwide. Adolescent and young adult individuals primarily attend educational institutions which can play an essential role in detecting and preventing suicide. For this reason, the purpose of this research is to examine the role that educational institutions play in suicide prevention. A systematic review was conducted to determine what educational institutions and agents are identified in the literature when addressing suicide. The systematic review yielded 58 articles published over the last 30 years. The results show that a wide variety of educational stakeholders are required to intervene for suicide prevention between primary education and college. Overall, educational suicide initiatives report positive effects on participants’ understanding, attitudes, and beliefs regarding suicide and suicide prevention, although some studies have expressed some caution. The different types of programs and recommendations are discussed.