"I Want to be a Part of Something That Helps Youth like Me." a Just Practice Approach to Understanding Suicide Thoughts, and Decisions and the Inclination to Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Young Adults

Suicide rates among young adults (YAs) in the U.S. have fluctuated though there have been nationwide efforts to reduce suicide rates. Gaps exist when current suicide prevention inadequately addresses young adults’ needs when they seek help during their crisis moments. School personnel training increases knowledge and confidence but not necessarily YAs seeking help. Effective suicide prevention requires more comprehensive approaches that consider incorporating YAs' perspectives, voices in culturally relevant suicide interventions for YAs. In light of this context, the study aims to explore the question: How do both personal and broad contextual factors contribute to or inhibit suicide thoughts and decisions among YAs in Oregon?”.

The study employed a participatory action research approach led by an interdisciplinary team of university and community-based suicide prevention scholars, activists, leaders, and practitioners who sought to engage YAs with lived experiences with suicide and substance use in the development of prevention and intervention strategies. The study had several components, including a young adult task-force (N=4) that met regularly and helped design core aspects of the project itself, a series of virtual focus group discussions (N=4) with YAs, and follow-up interviews with task force members as a final evaluation of the project. Participants for this study were recruited through social networks of the interdisciplinary research team, the young adult task force members, listservs from community partners, and on social media. Participants were of diverse background, race, and gender identities and socio-economic status. The focus group discussions occurred on the Zoom platform and in-person taskforce member meetings with participants' consent for recordings and transcriptions. Generated transcripts were analyzed using ATLAS.ti 23.2.1 for Mac software to identify emergent themes. The emphasis was on understanding the suicide thoughts and decisions from the participants' viewpoints.

Through the study, young adults described three significant experiences related to suicide thoughts and decision-making: (1) the specific factors that contributed to their suicide thoughts, (2) their inclination in seeking help, and (3) the factors that helped them connect to their desire to live. Notably, participants described the participatory action research process itself as a one of the protective factors that contributed to their wanting to live. Empowering young adults (YAs) to actively share their perspectives and lived experiences with suicidality or subtle suicide, rather than passively participating as research subjects, may alleviate feelings of burden and enhance family social support. This approach is crucial for effective intervention and prevention efforts within this demographic.

Together these findings align directly with a Just Practice framework, emphasizing meaning, context, power, history, and possibility in social-justice oriented practice. Each of these components of the Just Practice framework can help us to ask how a social-justice informed approach to suicide prevention and intervention might better support the needs that our young adults are experiencing. With this understanding, the study advocates for a holistic approach to suicide prevention and intervention, grounded in social work frameworks, to address the evolving trends in suicide and contribute to contemporary strategies for suicide prevention in the United States.