SOS - Signs of Suicide

SOS – Signs of Suicide Program

Middle and high schools across the country use SOS Signs of Suicide to educate students about suicide prevention and identify students in need. SOS has shown a reduction in self-reported suicide attempts by 40-64% in randomized controlled studies.

Through a video and guided discussion, students learn to identify warning signs of suicide and depression in a single class period. At the end of the session, students complete a seven-question screening for depression (anonymous or signed – the school can decide) to further encourage help-seeking and connect students at risk with trusted adults. The curriculum raises awareness about behavioral health and encourages students to ACT (Acknowledge, Care, Tell) when worried about themselves or their peers.

SOS reaches the people students are most likely to turn to in a time of crisis – their friends. All students are equipped to ACT if they are experiencing a behavioral health crisis or are thinking about suicide. Teachers and school staff also receive training to support students in need while reaching out to parents and community members as partners in prevention.

Signs of Suicide relies on scientifically-acquired results that demonstrate the program is achieving its stated goals. Researchers used randomized controlled trials – the “gold standard” of research studies – to determine that this program reduces suicide attempts by 40-64%!

    The Evidence

    Evaluating the SOS suicide prevention program: A replication and extension

    Results: This randomized controlled trial demonstrated that youth who received SOS student training were approximately 40% less likely to report a suicide attempt in the three months after the training compared to youth who hadn’t been through the SOS program. Exposure to the SOS curriculum resulted in greater knowledge of depression and suicide and more adaptive attitudes toward these problems.

    Study Summary: This study is an extension of a clinical trial published in the American Journal of Public Health in March 2004 by Robert H. Aseltine Jr. and Robert DeMartino. This second article adds to their previous evaluation of SOS by including data from the second year of the trial. It sought to assess the short-term impact of the SOS program. Researchers worked with a sample of over 4,000 high school students divided into two groups: the treatment group, who received SOS student training, and the control group, who did not participate in suicide prevention education. Approximately three months after completing SOS training, students in both groups were asked to complete a short questionnaire.

    Aseltine, Robert H. Jr, PhD and Robert DeMartino, MD. (2004). “An Outcome Evaluation of the SOS Suicide Prevention Program.” American Journal of Public Health. Vol 94, No 3, 446-51. Find the complete 2004 paper here.

    Aseltine, Robert H. Jr, Amy James, Elizabeth A. Schilling, and Jaime Glanovsky. (2007) “Evaluating the SOS suicide prevention program: a replication and extension.” BMC Public Health. 7: 161. Find the complete 2007 paper here.

     

     

    The SOS Suicide Prevention Program: Further Evidence of Efficacy and Effectiveness

    Results: Students who received SOS training were approximately 64% less likely to report a suicide attempt in the three months after the training compared with students who hadn’t been through the SOS program.

    Study Summary: The researchers behind this clinical trial sought to replicate results of prior studies on SOS and to further assess the program’s efficacy and effectiveness. The participants were more than 1,000 ninth-grade students divided into two groups: the treatment group, who received SOS student training, and the control group, who did not participate in suicide prevention education. Students in both groups completed a “pre-test” survey before the treatment group received SOS student training, and both groups completed a “post-test” survey three months after participating in SOS.

    Schilling, Elizabeth A., Robert H. Aseltine Jr, and Amy James. (2016). “The SOS Suicide Prevention Program: Further Evidence of Efficacy and Effectiveness.” Prevention Science. 17(2): 157-166. Find the complete 2016 paper here.

     

    “Signs of Suicide” Shows Promise as a Middle School Suicide Prevention Program

    Results: Participation in the SOS program was associated with increases in knowledge of suicide and depression. Additionally, students who reported suicidal ideation in the pre-test before receiving SOS training were 96% less likely to report suicidal behaviors (ideation, planning, and/or attempts) at the post-test after participating in the SOS program than students with pre-test ideation in the control group.

    Study Summary: This study evaluated the SOS Signs of Suicide middle school program specifically. Researchers worked with a sample of approximately 400 fifth-eighth graders divided into two groups: the treatment group, who received SOS student training, and the control group, who did not participate in suicide prevention education. Students in both groups completed a pre-test survey before the treatment group received SOS student training, and both groups completed a post-test survey three months later.

    Schilling, Elizabeth A., PhD, Martha Lawless, BA, Laurel Buchanan, MA, and Robert H. Aseltine Jr, PhD. (2014). “‘Signs of Suicide’ Shows Promise as a Middle School Suicide Prevention Program.” Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior. 44(6): 653-67. Find the complete paper here.