- Alisha Forrest
- Spring 2026
Faculty instructor: Dr. Kelsey Pascoe
Abstract
Abstract Adolescent suicide remains one of the leading causes of death for adolescents despite being preventable. There is a lack of evidence that one intervention program is more effective than another. There are a few well-known programs that can be used in a school setting that focus mostly on identifying students who are contemplating suicide and connecting them with resources, such as Question-Persuade-Refer (QPR) gatekeeper training. The objective of the literature review and stakeholder interviews was to obtain vital information to determine which program, or training would be the most effective as a school-based intervention. I conducted my literature search using the SearchIT database through Washington State University, giving me access to numerous peer-reviewed journals and studies published by multiple databases. Two key stakeholders were interviewed to gain insider knowledge to the current standing of suicide prevention in the junior/senior high school setting. I attended a QPR gatekeeper training designed for school health professionals through the local Educational Service District (ESD). Given the continuing problem of adolescent suicide, it would be prudent to begin implementing standardized training for school staff. The results of this project reveal that future work and studies should be tailored to find the more effective and the most cost-effective program to implement in K-12 schools before choosing a single program. Keywords: adolescent suicide, school-based interventions, gatekeeper suicide prevention, youth suicide