Young Adults' Suicide Related Knowledge and Attitudes: Implications for suicide awareness education

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of gender, personal experience with suicidal others and exposure to suicide awareness education upon suicide related knowledge and attitudes of 190 young adults and 52 older adults. Results showed that both the young and older adults indicated a substantial degree of personal experience with suicidal others, and despite displaying inadequate knowledge, possessed reasonable attitudes to adolescent suicide (e.g., need for education). Young adults' level of knowledge was found to vary as a function of gender (females displaying better knowledge than males), and having been exposed to school-based suicide curriculum. Differential gender effects also emerged in young adults' suicide-related attitudes with females indicating greater support for the inclusion of suicide education in schools. The implications of these findings for school-based suicide prevention efforts are discussed.