The Connecticut School Health Survey (CSHS) Youth Behavior Component (YBC) is conducted biennially and subsequently published by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH). The YBC surveys students from grades 9-12 in randomly chosen classrooms within selected schools. The question that relates to this indicator is: “During the past 12 months, did you ever seriously consider attempting suicide.”

In 2015, 13.4% of students reported that they seriously considered suicide in the past year. Female students (16.3%) were more likely than male students (10.4%) to consider suicide. Hispanic students (17.1%) were more likely than White- or Black non-Hispanic students (12.3%, 10.8%) to consider suicide. Connecticut has seen a decline since 1997, when 21.6% of students reported that they seriously considered suicide. According to the National Governor’s Association suicide is attempted by well over 300,000 Americans annually. The National Alliance for Mental Illness Connecticut chapter (NAMI-CT) has also indicated suicide as the second leading cause of death for youths in the U.S. between 15-24 years old, 90 percent of whom have a diagnosable mental illness. Students who seriously considered suicide in the past twelve months closely correlates with those who have actually attempted suicide in the same period of time Some components to consider when looking at this data are the home lives of the students surveyed and the liklihood of exposure to high-risk behaviors.

Family and home factors such as perception of love and support from parents, or regular family meal occurrence (three or more times in the last seven days) have been noted as a protective factor against suicidal ideation among CT students. CASBHC identified the “1Word, 1 Voice, 1 Life” campaign of the CT Suicide Advisory Board as a vital tool towards ensuring family, friends, and educators can recognize the warning signs and risk factors for suicidal youth. Negative factors that have been noted as significantly attributing to high school students considering suicide include: sexual assault, being bullied or teased, whether they felt sad/ hopeless two or more weeks in a row, frequent absence from school, and the use of drugs or alcohol. CASBHC notes the use of suspensions/expulsions as punishment in lieu of providing culturally aware behavioral health services as another possible facet. NAMI-CT asserts that the negative factors that impact suicidal tendencies stem not only from a lack of support services, but also growing social isolation in teens. The use of internet-capable technologies has created a venue for students to carry a negative school climate into their home lives. Not only do these factors play into increasing thoughts of suicide, they also affect student outcomes in the classroom.

Program and policy initiatives undertaken in response to the prevalence of youth suicide in Connecticut include DCF’s Connecticut Youth Suicide Advisory Board and DMHAS’s Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Promotion Initiative.The Connecticut General Assembly has also sought to address cyberbullying, school safety plans and standards, and develop a comprehensive children’s mental health, emotional and behavior health plan.

• Department of Public Health
• Connecticut Community Providers Association
• Keep the Promise Coalition
• Connecticut Association for School Based Health Centers
• Department of Education

• Work with DPH contractors to integrate the practice of conducting a mental health assessment during a physical.
• Reduce access to lethal means of suicide among individuals with identified risks.
• Provide training to community and clinical service providers on prevention of suicide and related behaviors.
• Address integration of prevention efforts across sectors and settings.
• Develop, implement and monitor effective programs that promote wellness and prevent suicide and related behaviors for adolescents; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth.
• Increase timeliness and usefulness of surveillance systems and improve ability to collect, analyze and use information.

Strategies contributed by staff from the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH).

Dept of Public Health, Connecticut School Health Survey, Youth Behavior Component (YBC)

http://www.ct.gov/dph/cwp/view.asp?a=3132&q=388104&dphNav_GID=1832%20