Suicide remains a key public health concern. This is particularly because it is one of the leading causes of death in the United States (US). Suicide refers to death whose cause is injurious behavior that is self-directed with the intent of dying. Collectively, deaths caused by homicide and suicide are termed violent deaths ( Curtin & Heron , 2019). Nationwide surveys have proven that suicide is on the rise in particular populations. Violent deaths have been a key cause of death consistently for individuals aged 10-24 years in the US. Suicide, in particular, is the second leading cause of death for those aged 10-14, 15-19, and lastly, 20-24 years (Carroll, 2019; Curtin & Heron , 2019). The statistics imply that attention has to be given to these vulnerable demographics to reverse the trend. This paper presents a group that is aimed at preventing suicide among pre-teens and teens.
Group Description
Given the high cases of suicide amongst pre-teens and teens, there is a need to develop and implement effective and safe programs aimed at addressing teen mental illness, trauma, and distress; offering crisis prevention; and incorporating peer support for the teens seeking help. The proposed suicide prevention group will be designed to serve vulnerable teens and pre-teens. Suicide affects individuals of all races, socioeconomic groups, and ages, not only in the US but also globally. While suicide is ranked the tenth cause of death in the US the general population, it is the second leading cause of death among adolescents and children aged 10-24 years ( Carroll, 2019; Curtin & Heron , 2019). Given these statistics, increased attention has to be given to individuals that fall within these age brackets. This group will particularly focus on those aged 12-18 years.
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The group will be aimed at offering support to vulnerable pre-teens and teens by helping them cope with any challenge that they may be facing through education and enrichment. It is also aimed at building a sense of community amongst these teens. I ndividuals who attempt or successfully commit suicide often display numerous warning signs either through their words or actions prior to the act ( Curtin & Heron , 2019). Consequently, the more the warning signs exhibited by a teenager, the higher his or her chances of committing suicide. The group will pay particular attention to these signs. It will then offer professional support for individuals that are suspected to be at risk of harming themselves.
The group will take the form of a suicide prevention peer support entity. This is in line with its mandate of educating the targeted group on the warning signs of depression and suicide; directing the vulnerable on where they can get help for themselves and for others that may be at risk of suicide; encouraging positive communication while in the process of seeking help; and lastly, reducing stigma towards those diagnosed with mental disorders. The group will further be directed at mitigating any risk factors, promoting protective factors, and encouraging awareness amongst those at risk of attempting to commit suicide.
Members of the group will be chosen based on their vulnerability to suicide, openness to learning, and commitment to self-improvement. These attributes are vital for the group’s success since, for a vulnerable individual to be supported, he or she has to own the process. The group will be open so that anyone who is vulnerable or willing to learn more about suicide feels welcome, and his or her presence appreciated.
Curriculum
Individuals need to build the life skills needed to deal with everyday problems and successfully adapt to adversity and stress. While life skills entail numerous concepts, at their core include problem-solving and coping skills, conflict resolution, critical thinking, and emotional regulation. There is a consensus that life skills play a crucial role in protecting individuals from suicide behaviors ( Neacsiu et al., 2018). Suicidal behavior is often associated with direct modeling and learning. It is also attributed to individual or environmental characteristics. The former includes such aspects as hopelessness.
Those who attempt or commit suicide are often characterized by an inability to adequately employ strategies of coping with immediate stressors. They also encounter challenges identifying and finding solutions to their problems (Bonet et al., 2020). In this regard, it is necessary to teach and equip such individuals with the skills needed in tackling everyday stressors and challenges. This aspect forms a crucial component of any suicide prevention program. The proposed suicide prevention group will thus be aimed at providing the targeted 12-18 year-olds with the skills they will apply when resolving problems at school, in relationships, with peers, in work settings, and in addressing the negative influences related to suicide such as substance abuse. In this regard, the group’s curriculum will cover such topics as emotional regulation, coping skills, communication and problem solving, and lastly, conflict resolution. It is envisaged that these topics will help the teenagers avoid suicide since it goes against God’s position on the sanctity of life .
Emotional Regulation
Emotional regulation is often conceptualized as self-regulation. It refers to the manner in which individuals deal with such feelings as frustration, anger, low mood, anxiety, and excitement ( Neacsiu et al., 2018; Newswise, 2020; Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre , n.d. ). The phenomenon is closely associated with numerous risk factors for suicide attempts among teens. Bonet et al. (2020) reckon that emotional regulation challenges are closely associated with childhood maltreatment. Individuals that experienced poor caregiving or maltreatment when growing up are likely to have challenges in regulating their emotional states. This ability is a vital skill for human development.
Such aspects as parenting styles, parents’ marital status and quality of relationship, family forgiveness, and quality of bonding play a vital role in the development of a child ‘s emotional strategies (Bonet et al., 2020). Ultimately, these strategies are important during a person’s adolescent stage. The group will thus endeavor to understand the members’ family background to tease out any maltreatment or undesirable family attributes. For example, an aspect such as lack of forgiveness can be addressed. Specifically, the group members faced with this challenge would be encouraged to forgive since the bible says that by forgiving those that have wronged us, God is able to forgive our sins.
Teenagers who have experienced difficulties growing up often have emotional regulation difficulties associated with emotional clarity, repair, and attention (Bonet et al., 2020). These difficulties result in the development of externalizing and internalizing symptoms among teenagers. This is manifested via risk behaviors. Teenagers with emotional regulation difficulties are likely to exhibit higher rates of attempted suicide and suicidal ideation ( Neacsiu et al., 2018; Newswise, 2020). The group will expose members to scenarios that help in discerning whether they may have challenges related to emotional clarity, repair, and attention. Notable indicators include accounts of difficulties in family and relationship contexts. Other factors associated with suicide risks such as feelings of worthlessness, irritability, and hopelessness, will be explored.
The group will also seek to study the psychological factors that may drive the pre-teens and teens towards contemplating suicide. Thus, the group members will be encouraged to their family backgrounds and trained on emotional regulation and interpersonal relationships. Besides the development of interpersonal and personal skills, the group will focus on addressing on risk factors associated with emotional regulation. There is a consensus that the ability of teenagers to manage, recover, and identify painful emotions through internal strategies aids in reducing the likelihood of suicide ( Neacsiu et al., 2018; Bonet et al., 2020). The group will thus direct its interventions towards these aspects. Any feelings of unmet psychological needs such as parental rejection will also be examined. Ultimately, the group will seek to develop the members’ emotional processing skills targeting four vital aspects. These include emotional perception, the use of emotions in facilitating thinking, emotional management, and lastly, emotional understanding ( Lizeretti et al., 2012 ).
Coping Skills
Teenagers are exposed to numerous situations that may make them feel overwhelmed. Notable among these include exams and lack of contact with their friends, among others. Likewise, due to their age, teens are likely to feel under pressure as they navigate today's world that requires them to embrace diversity and constantly change. Teaching teenagers how to cope with the day-to-day challenges plays a vital role in protecting them from developing such factors as suicide as a way of solving their problems ( Mirkovic et al., 2014 ).
Individuals are not born with positive coping skills. Instead, practice, reinforcement, and education are required. It is thus important that teenagers are exposed to positive coping skills that would help them in managing stress, staving off depression, and offering support to peers ( Mirkovic et al., 2014 ). Teaching positive coping skills and stress management will thus form a vital component of the suicide prevention group. This knowledge will help the vulnerable teenagers from suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts. The group will endeavor to share coping options that suit different individuals. It will also ensure that the coping skills targeted are adequate for the 12-18 year-olds. Both healthy and unhealthy ways of coping will be shared.
Ultimately, the group is aimed at creating a community that adequately helps each other to cope while promoting accountability. Members of the community will be encouraged to ask questions and seek help. Moreover, all members will be encouraged to be honest, raw, and vulnerable to their peers. This way, they will be able to receive the help they need. God calls up Christians to seek help since trying to live off of one’s strength is futile. In some instances, God may assist us himself. However, in others, he uses other people to help us. Thus, by encouraging members to seek help, the group will be adhering to biblical teachings.
The group will teach the teenagers several important coping skills. Firstly, it will encourage them to talk to and spend quality time with their loved ones. Talking helps teenagers to verbalize their feelings, and in so doing, they feel validated ( Mirkovic et al., 2014 ). Since the teenagers might not be comfortable talking to their parents, they will be encouraged to identify the adults they are comfortable opening up to. Secondly, members will be encouraged to do things that they love doing. These could include traveling, listening to music, reading, exercising, meditating, journaling, drawing, or dancing. Thirdly, the teenagers will be encouraged to avoid such habits as consumption of alcohol and other drugs. Other coping skills would include taking time off, getting rid of objects that may be used in causing self-harm, and making a recovery plan. Ultimately, the group is aimed at creating a community where teenagers can hang out, talk, and support each other.
Communication and problem-solving skills
Communication is a vital component of every-day life. For teenagers vulnerable to suicide, communication may help them find solutions to their problems ( Owen et al., 2012; Ali, 2018 ). In this regard, the group will be geared towards encouraging authentic communication that also takes individual personality and needs into account. In order to build effective therapeutic relationships and successful engagement, group members will be encouraged to journal everything that they want to communicate.
Scholars have proven that human relationships play a crucial role in the recovery of individuals in mental healthcare ( Owen et al., 2012 ). This narrative is vital, given that suicide among pre-teens and teens is closely related to their mental state. Poor communication is detrimental to the formation of healthy relationships and can cause distress by making an individual feel more isolated. Likewise, the use of hostile language may cause individuals struggling with mental health to not only become hostile but also hold back. Thus, the members will be taught how to polish their communication skills. The need for good communication skills is in line with various biblical teachings. For instance, God calls upon individuals to be quick to hear but slow to anger and speaking. This underscores the value of listening more. He also taught that only fools take no pleasure in understanding since they focus on expressing their opinions. Against this backdrop, group members will be encouraged to listen more, talk less, speak positively, and avoid any negative talk.
The group seeks to use communication as a way of getting ahead of suicide. By empathizing with the vulnerable pre-teens and teens, the group will be able to understand their struggles and offer solutions ( Ali, 2018) . Likewise, communication will aid in building trust so that the teenagers are able to reach out whenever they experience depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts. Moreover, when teenagers communicate their problems early, they are better placed to avoid feelings of helplessness ( Owen et al., 2012).
Besides, the members will be encouraged to get good at solving problems. They will especially be taught on the need to always consider all the viable options before deciding the most one that is best placed to address the challenge at hand. Hypothetical difficult situations will be used in driving this point home. The members will then be asked to brainstorm the options available for creating healthy solutions. All the options will be evaluated by exploring the pros and cons. Members will also be encouraged always to check whether the situation at hand is improving. Also, they will be made to understand that they will never be able to fix all the problems in their lives and that it is okay not to do that.
Conflict Resolution
Conflict is amongst the factors that drive teenagers to commit suicide. The most common form of conflict in this regard is family conflict ( Newswise, 2020) . Goldstein et al. (2009) established that teenage ideators and attempters of suicide are likely to report more family chaos and problems than their counterparts. The former are also likely to consider their families dysfunctional and their relationship with parents more conflicted. These findings indicate that family conflict plays a vital role in driving teenagers to ideate or commit suicide. In particular, conflict with parents over grades may act as a trigger for suicidal thoughts. Thus, conflict resolution will be a vital topic for the suicide prevention group.
It is important to note that during recovery, resolving outer conflicts is as important as resolving the inner ones. Strained or unhealthy interpersonal relationships undoubtedly make healing difficult. Thus, group members will be encouraged to learn how to resolve conflicts that may occur in their lives. In this case, it will be critical for individuals to understand that they are all sinners in God’s eyes and that our hearts have selfish pride and self-serving tendencies. Thus, group members will be encouraged to embrace a conflict resolution approach that is biblical. This implies that they ought to introspect, examine and check their emotions against God's will, repent, and then prepare and humble their hearts.
The members will be exposed to three vital steps. Firstly, they will be encouraged to s tate the goals of resolving the conflict in specific, clear, and achievable terms. Secondly, they will be taught the importance of taking responsibility and acknowledge each person’s role and viewpoint in the conflict. This is because whenever there is conflict, more than one individual has played a role in creating and supporting it, even if by withdrawal. Thirdly, they will be encouraged to deal with both the content of the conflict as well as the relationship goals. Often most conflict resolution initiatives have two goals. These include reaching an agreement or enhancing the relationship for future communication. The two goals should be taken seriously.
Rationale
The role of peer support groups cannot be overemphasized in the prevention of suicide. This is because they form an active and essential part in preventing suicide at the community level. Such groups may entail those that have lost loved ones to suicide, survivors, the vulnerable as well as individuals that have contemplated committing suicide. Besides supporting each other, these groups play a crucial role in advocating for suicide prevention (Reed, 2013). There is a consensus amongst scholars that peer support assists those who have experienced suicidal crises to recover. It also aids the vulnerable and the attempters to understand and come to terms with the act.
Those that have attempted suicide and survived are better placed to inspire prevention of suicide and enlighten those at risk because their accounts are authentic. The attempt survivor can also do more than supporting their peers. This is because they can help the community in understanding the supports and resources that are required to assist survivors in their recovery journey. The survivors share their expertise and first-hand experience in facing and yet overcoming suicide (Reed, 2013). This is important to vulnerable pre-teens and teens, and that is why the proposed peer support group is justifiable.
Schlichthorst et al. (2020) argue that peer support can be conceptualized as a system via which help is given and received. Such groups are founded on the tenets of mutual agreement, shared responsibility, and respect. The mutual experience provided by such groups offers a holistic and deep understanding whereby individuals enjoy each other's company while understanding each other's situation through sharing experiences of psychological and emotional pain. Ultimately peer support programs have been proven to offer alternative support in care and crisis. They have also been shown to be effective in engaging with groups such as pre-teens and teens that may not be reached by traditional health services. The decision on what to incorporate in the sessions was informed by the suicide-related issues that teens and pre-teens are likely to encounter.
The social worker facilitating the group definitely requires some leadership skills but may not special skills per se. However, he or she should be knowledgeable and passionate about suicide and its prevention. The group is open to individuals of different socioeconomic status, ethnic, racial, and sexual identity backgrounds, among others. This is because the incorporation of diversity is vital for the group's success. To encourage this diversity, the group boasts open-mindedness as a core principle. The facilitators are also drawn from various backgrounds.
Evaluation
To assess the success of the group, several parameters will be explored. These include the extent to which isolation and the impact of stressors are reduced in the group members. Likewise, the extent to which health and self-management information is shared by the group members will be used as a basis for assessing success. The members will be evaluated on whether or not the program inspires them to take a more active role in pursuing self-care. For individuals with severe mental health conditions, the program will be assessed by establishing whether it inspires hope for recovery and reduces such symptoms of mental health as clinical depression and schizophrenia ( Schlichthorst et al., 2020). Other bases of assessment include reduction of grief symptoms, improvement of suicide-related and psychosocial outcomes, and increased well-being and personal growth in the suicide survivors and attempters.
The group can be deemed a success when participants can talk about their experiences freely while improving one or more areas of their lives. Schlichthorst et al. (2020) reckon that possible areas of improvement include an increased sense of community and clarity on the reasons behind the urge to commit suicide. Overall, decreased intensity of suicidal thoughts amongst vulnerable pre-teens and teens would be indicative of the groups’ success.
References
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