Long-Term Outcomes for the Promoting CARE Suicide Prevention Program

• NCJ Number: 253666
• Journal: American Journal of Health Behavior Volume: 34 Issue: 6 Dated: 2010 Pages: 721-736
• Author(s): Carole Hooven; Jerald R. Herting; Karen A. Snedker
• Date Published: 2010
• Length: 16 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Program/Project Evaluation; Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study conducted a long-term assessment of suicide risk from adolescence to young adulthood for former participants in Promoting CARE, a suicide prevention program.

Abstract

A total of 593 suicide-vulnerable high school youth were involved in this long-term follow-up study. Latent class growth models identified patterns of change in suicide risk over this period. Three distinct trajectories were identified, all showing a maintenance of decreased suicide risk from post-intervention in adolescence into young adulthood, based on an analysis for direct suicide-risk behaviors, depression, and anger. Intervention conditions and key risk/protective factors were identified for the prediction of long-term trajectories. The overall conclusion of this study is that early intervention is successful in promoting and maintaining lower-risk for suicide from adolescence to young adulthood, with the caveat that some high-risk behaviors may indicate a need for additional intervention to recover earlier effects. 2 figures (publisher abstract modified)