In this master's thesis we address the topic of suicidal behaviour among adolescents, focusing on preventive and postvention measures taken by schools in the event of a student's suicide.
In the theoretical part, we first present the characteristics of suicide and the suicidal process and then continue with statistical data on the prevalence of suicide in Slovenia and the prevalence of suicide among young people in Slovenia. We then present the characteristics of the adolescence period and the developmental tasks that adolescents face during this period, focusing on how adolescents cope with developmental tasks. In this chapter, we also describe the suicidal process in adolescents and point out the difference between self-destructive and self-harming behaviour in adolescents. This is followed by a chapter on protective factors and risk factors for suicidal behaviour in adolescents, which we then present in the context of the school environment. Further we focus on the role of schools and professional staff members in recognizing and responding to suicidal behaviour in adolescents. We define warning signs that indicate the presence of a risk of suicidal behaviour and present measures to be taken in the event of perceived (suicidal) distress in adolescents. We focus in more detail on talking to adolescents in (suicidal) distress. We conclude the chapter with the importance of cooperation between schools and external experts in cases of suicidal behaviour among students. This is followed by a chapter on preventive action by schools in relation to suicidal behaviour in adolescents, in which we first define the educational role of schools and then highlight the importance of the class community and the role of the school counselling service in preventive action by schools. At the end of the chapter, we mention the importance of suicide destigmatisation. In the last chapter, we present the school's post-suicide measures taken after a student's suicide by following the post-suicide steps outlined in the Guidelines for Post-Suicide Measures: Smernice za postvencijo: ko se zgodi samomor učenca ali dijaka (2021). We then highlight the importance of cooperation between the school and professionals with external experts during post-suicide intervention, as well as the importance of the knowledge and skills of professional staff in dealing with suicidal behaviour or suicide among adolescents.
In the empirical part of the master's thesis, we present the results obtained from interviews with professional staff members (the principal, homeroom teacher, school counsellor) who have experienced a student's suicide, and an external expert who collaborated with the school during the postvention period. The results are presented in three sections: preventive measures taken by the school in relation to suicidal behaviour, postvention measures taken by the school in response to the student's suicide, and the knowledge, skills, and competences of professionals in dealing with suicidal behaviour in students.
We found out that schools and their professional staff play an important role in both preventive and postvention measures in cases of suicidal behaviour among adolescents. The interviewed people included in the study reported that suicidal behaviour is primarily recognized by the teachers who are with students on a daily basis, while students themselves are less likely to decide to talk about their distress. Teachers establish initial contact with students who are believed to be in distress and address their concerns. After talking to the student, they involve the school counselling service in the process. In relation to preventive measures, we found that the school included in the study takes preventive action on three levels and cooperates with external institutions in this regard. Preventive activities are carried out by teachers, the school counselling service, and external experts. The school also took preventive action after a student committed suicide; to this end, workshops and lectures were held for students, conducted by the school counselling service and external experts. Individual meetings for teachers and parents were also organized, led by an external expert. With regards to post-incident activities, we found that the school responded in an organized and quick manner after receiving news of the student's suicide, immediately seeking help from external experts. Everyone was informed about the event – students, teachers and parents. A crisis team was formed, and lessons continued according to the regular schedule, but with a special emphasis on conversation and emotional support for the students. During the post-incident period, the school's professional staff collaborated with various institutions and experts who provided support to students, teachers, and parents. Finally, we conclude that professionals have only partial knowledge, weak knowledge, or no knowledge at all about how to deal with and respond appropriately to suicidal behaviour. The interviewed people particularly emphasized the importance of additional education and training in this area.
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