Adolescent suicide risk factors and the integration of social-emotional skills in school-based prevention programs

Abstract

Adolescents are considered one of the most vulnerable groups affected by suicide. Rapid changes in adolescents’ physical and mental states, as well as in their lives, significantly and undeniably increase the risk of suicide. Psychological, social, family, individual, and environmental factors are important risk factors for suicidal behavior among teenagers and may contribute to suicide risk through various direct, indirect, or combined pathways. Social-emotional learning is considered a powerful intervention measure for addressing the crisis of adolescent suicide. When deliberately cultivated, fostered, and enhanced, self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, interpersonal skills, and responsible decision-making, as the five core competencies of social-emotional learning, can be used to effectively target various risk factors for adolescent suicide and provide necessary mental and interpersonal support. Among numerous suicide intervention methods, school-based interventions based on social-emotional competence have shown great potential in preventing and addressing suicide risk factors in adolescents. The characteristics of school-based interventions based on social-emotional competence, including their appropriateness, necessity, cost-effectiveness, comprehensiveness, and effectiveness, make these interventions an important means of addressing the crisis of adolescent suicide. To further determine the potential of school-based interventions based on social-emotional competence and better address the issue of adolescent suicide, additional financial support should be provided, the combination of social-emotional learning and other suicide prevention programs within schools should be fully leveraged, and cooperation between schools and families, society, and other environments should be maximized. These efforts should be considered future research directions.

Keywords: Adolescent suicide; Risk factors; Social-emotional skills; Social and emotional learning; School; Prevention

Core Tip: Adolescent suicide, as a public health issue with severe consequences and causing significant harm, calls for a more powerful and efficient global response. Adolescents spend the majority of their time in school, making this a natural setting for the implementation of social-emotional learning and the cultivation of social-emotional skills. In the future, efforts to prevent and address adolescent suicide should provide schools with more adequate financial support, further strengthen the combination of social-emotional learning and other suicide prevention programs within schools, and promote higher-quality solutions for the issue of suicide through the combined efforts of schools, families, and society.