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

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,selfawareness,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 socialemotional 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.

Break Free from Depression:Implementation and Outcomes of a School-Based Depression Awareness Program

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of Break Free from Depression(BFFD),a school-based depression awareness curriculum,in comparison to a wait list control group.A total of 13 eighth grade classrooms participated in either an intervention or control group and completed pre-,post-,and three-month follow-up surveys.Students participating in BFFD(N=6 classrooms,166 students)demonstrated enhanced knowledge of and more adaptive attitudes towards depression compared to the control group(N=7 classrooms,155 students).Participants in the BFFD intervention also demonstrated increases in their confidence in knowing how to seek help for depression and in their intent to seek this help if needed.Slight decreases were found at a three-month follow-up in all scales except for intent to seek help.BFFD was effective regardless of gender,ethnicity,or identification as a member of the LGBTQ community.There was a delayed effect on measured constructs for Black students with gains apparent at three-month follow-up.The findings demonstrated that BFFD had a small but significant positive impact on students’knowledge,skills,and attitudes in seeking support for themselves and for others when faced with signs of depression.The implementation of depression awareness curricula in schools hold promise in promoting student mental health,and it is important to consider factors that might have an impact on outcomes.

The Paradoxes of Student Well-being in Singapore

Purpose:Singapore’s education system is known for its robust curriculum and excellent results.It is also a system of keen competitiveness and high pressure.This article addresses how such an education system responds to the issue of student well-being.Design/Approach/Methods:This article analyses the recent initiatives and shift in education philosophy in Singapore’s education system,which have a bearing on the issue of student wellbeing.Findings:This article argues that while there are direct efforts to address student well-being,the direction Singapore is taking is to pursue a holistic education paradigm,in which education is engaging,joyful,meaningful,and values-based.This article also argues that such a paradigm goes beyond the current well-being agenda and is aligned with a view that education should be about wholeness and purpose.While there are challenges associated with these changes,the Singapore experience suggests that the more we focus on holistic education,rather than interpret student well-being narrowly,the more wellness the students may actually and eventually experience.Originality/Value:This article brings to readers learning points from Singapore regarding student well-being,as the country grapples with change to develop a generation of young people,whose beings are and will continue to be well.

Educating for Comprehensive Well-being

Purpose:Educational approaches that advocate“well-being,”the“whole child,”“social and emotional learning,”“character,”and the like emphasize human development beyond the acquisition of knowledge and skills.These approaches vary widely in their views of human nature,their visions of a good life,and their prescriptions for educational practice.This article maps out heterogeneous contemporary approaches to“well-being”and related constructs,thereby allowing researchers,educators,and policymakers to understand the divergent assumptions made by the proliferating approaches to education that go beyond academics.Design/Approach/Methods:This article presents results from a 2-year project,which included interviews with advocates of different approaches and review of key literature about eleven educational approaches to“well-being,”the“whole child,”“social and emotional learning,”“character,”and similar noncognitive ends.Findings:The article argues that any educational approach to“well-being”and related constructs must respond to four questions:whether humans are bundles of discrete competencies or integrated wholes,what the appropriate relation is between individuals and society,the relative importance of instrumental and intrinsic goals,and the importance of an overarching purpose for one’s life.The analysis reviews how eleven contemporary approaches address these four questions.Originality/Value:Despite the global proliferation of divergent approaches to“well-being,”the“whole child,”“social and emotional learning,”“character,”and related constructs in education,there are no comprehensive frameworks for understanding the alternatives and their key assumptions.This article organizes the globally proliferating educational movements that promote“well-being,”making sense of a confusing set of alternatives.We also argue that any comprehensive approach to education that goes beyond academics must consider the four questions that we identify.