Developing student leadership in school mental health promotion and suicide prevention in Hong Kong

Abstract

<p>Suicide Help Intervention through Education and Leadership Development for Students (S.H.I.E.L.D.S.) is an ongoing leadership training programme for secondary school students in Hong Kong that aims to strengthen peer support for students in distress or crisis. By empowering selected students to become proactive gatekeepers and lay leaders in mental health promotion and suicide prevention in the school community, this programme increases the capacity of student leaders to support their peers through fundamental education about mental health, provides them with expert training on how to recognize and respond to peers in distress or crisis, and gives them practical experience in designing and implementing a student-led project in mental health promotion and/or suicide prevention. Members of school staff also receive training to learn about mental health and suicide issues affecting Hong Kong youths, and how to support their students as a facilitator in carrying out student-led projects. Not only is this programme expected to benefit student leaders and school staff, students in need and in the wider school community are also expected to benefit from participating in the student-led project activities.</p><p>Over two programme rounds conducted during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years, nine cohorts consisting of both student leaders and school staff from eight local secondary schools were recruited, for a total of 90 student leaders and 37 school staff. Prior to beginning their training, student leaders reported that they were generally concerned about their self-efficacy in providing mental health support, thus they expected to acquire knowledge and skills which could further enhance their ability to support others. Afterwards, students’ knowledge on mental health- and suicide-related topics did improve, as evidenced by higher scores on knowledge quizzes. They also self-reported higher ratings on their ability to identify and respond to peers in crisis, and lower self-stigma towards help-seeking behaviours. School staff further reported improved knowledge of youth mental health issues and mental health promotion initiatives in schools. Finally, surveys conducted with general students showed that, after they had participated in their student leaders’ activities, students’ willingness to seek help increased for a wide range of problems. Based on these findings, we conclude that the S.H.I.E.L.D.S. programme has the potential to be an effective school-based intervention for mental health promotion and suicide prevention.</p>