Adolescent help-seeking and the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program: an evaluation

Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2010 Dec;40(6):628-39. doi: 10.1521/suli.2010.40.6.628.

Abstract

The Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program has gained national and international recognition for its school- and community-based activities. After the introduction of Yellow Ribbon to a Denver-area high school, staff and adolescents were surveyed to determine if help-seeking behavior had increased. Using a pre-post intervention design, staff at an experimental school and comparison school were surveyed about their experiences with student help-seeking. Additionally, 146 students at the experimental high school were surveyed. Staff did not report any increase in student help-seeking, and students' reports of help-seeking from 11 of 12 different types of helpers did not increase; the exception was help-seeking from a crisis hotline, which increased from 2.1% to 6.9%. Further research with larger, more inclusive samples is needed to determine whether Yellow Ribbon is effective in other locations.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Colorado
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Patient Acceptance of Health Care*
  • Program Evaluation
  • Schools / organization & administration
  • Suicidal Ideation
  • Suicide Prevention*
  • Suicide, Attempted / prevention & control
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Workforce