Exposure, awareness, and knolwedge of suicide prevention: Findings from a national cross-site survey of faculty and staff on college campuses

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults aged 15-24. In response to this public health tragedy, the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act was enacted, in part, to provide funding to institutions of higher learning to develop, evaluate, and improve campus suicide prevention programs. These programs include gatekeeper trainings as well as a variety of social marketing campaigns to reduce stigma associated with mental health seeking as well as promote campus mental health resources. Using stratified random samples from 52 funded college campuses and a web-based survey design, the current study assesses the degree to which faculty and staff on campuses across the country know about suicide risk factors and appropriate resources for students identified as at-risk for suicide. Further, this research examines the extent to which stigma related to suicide remains prevalent on college campuses. Finally, this study assesses the degree to which campus suicide prevention programs have permeated faculty and staff campus populations. Suicide prevention policy implications are discussed as well as future directions of suicide prevention research.