Prevenire il suicidio in adolescenza: l'insegnante come gatekeeper

Preventing suicide in schools:Teachers as gatekeepers.Teachers have been identified as “gatekeepers” who might serve as a first line of assistance for distressed young people. Such gatekeepers, along with medical and mental health professionals, have a vital role to play in the prevention of youth suicide. The purpose of our study was to investigate knowledge and attitudes about adolescent suicide and skills to manage an hypothetical suicidal student. Participants were 298 teachers (65% females,mean age = 47) from high schools. They were administered a questionnaire including items from Adolescent Suicide Behavior Questionnaire and a vignette describing a suicidal young girl. Results showed that high numbers of teachers report a low level of knowledge of risk factors and signs of suicide risk which was found even among those who had personally known someone who killed himself. Emotional reactions to a suicidal student influence decision-making process on how to handle the hypothetical situation. There was individual variability based on gender and years of teaching. Further educational efforts about suicide risk identification and prevention seem to be needed for teachers.