Jayden Engelhardt
Pronouns: She/Her
Research Mentor(s): Cynthia Ewell Foster
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Dept. of Psychiatry and University Center for the Child and Family, Rackham Graduate School / Other
Program:
Authors: Jayden Engelhardt, Christina Magness, Pia Nair, Cynthia Ewell Foster
Session: Session 2: 10:00 am – 10:50 am
Poster: 8
Abstract
Suicide poses a substantial public health issue and is a leading cause of death among individuals aged 10-24 in the United States. Youth within the child welfare system are at heightened risk of suicide when compared to the general population. Social workers are pivotal in the child welfare (CW) system, uniquely positioned to prevent suicide among vulnerable youth. However, many report feeling unprepared due to a lack of suicide prevention education in BSW and MSW programs. When child welfare staff lack adequate training, this may lead to a failure to recognize and provide proper care for suicidal youth within the CW system. The current pilot project aims to evaluate a newly developed suicide prevention course for individuals seeking an undergraduate certificate preparing them to enter the child welfare work force. This five-module asynchronous online curriculum meets the newly required suicide prevention competencies required by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Participants were 59 enrolled learners including undergraduate students, graduate students, and child welfare community partners who completed pre- and post-test surveys assessing suicide prevention beliefs, self-efficacy, preparedness, and behavioral intentions to engage in suicide prevention activities. Out of the 59 learners who registered for the course, 47 completed the voluntary pre-test, 26 completed the course, and 25 completed the post-test. Paired sample t-tests indicate that participants’ beliefs, self-efficacy, preparedness and behavioral intentions to engage in suicide prevention activities increased significantly (p<.001) from pre- to post-test. Improving suicide prevention training for prospective child welfare workers can contribute to a more robust and effective approach to preventing suicide among vulnerable youth in the CW system.
