Introduction
The South Carolina Youth Suicide Prevention Initiative (SCYSPI) supports schools and promotes access to training in an effort to lower the suicide rate among young people. To conduct a study, it is also vital to define the sample and setting, as they constitute the central part of the assessment. This paper incorporates an evaluation of methods and procedures as a continuation of three previous assignments.
Research Questions
The suicidal process is the process of cultivating a person’s desire to commit suicide from a simple feeling of dissatisfaction with his existence to a specific plan and actions to deprive himself of life. It needs to be studied in detail to understand the pattern and determine how it can be minimized. Hence, two research questions, including whether the addition of the SCYSPI program is related to changes in youth suicide rates across the state and student attendance at schools, will be addressed by the program evaluation. Due to the applicability of in-depth qualitative research for local programs, rather than national ones, quantitative methods will be preferred.
Setting and Sample Selection
A physical, social, and cultural setting where a researcher conducts a study can be referred to as a research setting. Studies acknowledge how cultural behavior influences our perception of a phenomenon, and as a result, it is crucial in establishing the context. The setting will take place in South Carline – the state’s schools will undergo the research and data collection procedures. The reason for choosing to conduct a study in South Carolina is the state’s high youth school attendance rate.
The term sample refers to a smaller set of data that a researcher selects or chooses from a larger population using a predetermined selection technique. These components are referred to as observations, sampling units, or sample points. Creating a sample is a productive way to carry out research. In terms of current research, the population. For the purpose of gathering population statistics, a straightforward random sample will be utilized. The most effective way to minimize the impact of potential confounding variables is through randomization, which helps ensure good internal validity.
A simple random sample also has high external validity when the sample size is sufficiently large, as it accurately represents the traits of a larger population. Considering the theoretical aspect of selecting a sample, it is essential to develop a proposal for the practical one. Therefore, all schools will be required to provide the details about the number of their attendees to count the total number.
Based on the given sample size, it will be possible to measure suicide rates and school attendance. It is essential to maintain the privacy of each participant, given the sensitivity of the topic and adherence to ethical principles. To define the sample, it will be necessary to resort to the setting in this case. The sample consists of school students aged 15-24; all students and their parents will be asked for informed consent.
Data and Collecting Procedures
Quantitative research involves the collection of quantitative data that can be presented in numerical form. The incidence of successful suicide attempts per 100,000 South Carolina residents aged 15 to 24 in 2014 and the years after the SCYSPI’s deployment could be the first sort of data to be collected. Statistics on suicide victims aged 10 to 24 would be extracted, and state-specific suicide mortality statistics for 2014 and 2022 would be retrieved from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2023). This source provides the most up-to-date information on the most pressing issues.
Statistical methods and tools are used in quantitative research to analyze and interpret the data obtained. To gather information, it is necessary to contact South Carolina schools using the Skype software and request annual student attendance numbers for 2014 and 2022. Additionally, the evaluation will examine how school district leaders perceive the environment for implementing SCYSPI-related policies, their preparation for implementation, and the relationships among actors.
Pilar et al. (2022) claim that evaluating readiness to incorporate health-promoting programs into facilities’ regular operations reveals the efficacy of the three listed characteristics. The SCYSPI program’s leaders will be contacted, informed consent forms will be given, and participants will be urged to complete a tool modeled after the School Mental Health Policy Survey mentioned in Pilar et al. (2022) as part of the data collection procedures for the aforementioned data type.
The survey will include 15-20 Likert scale items. The respondents will be asked to rate the district’s readiness to implement the SCYSPI effectively, the presence and quality of interorganizational relationships necessary for effective participation in the project, and their perception of the support and encouragement they receive for following the program’s rules (Pilar et al., 2022). Anonymity must be strictly protected to fully implement the chosen data collection mode and obtain a sufficient response rate.
Research Methods
The paired t-test approach will be applied to the investigation of juvenile suicide incidence and school attendance rates. Paired t-tests are successfully employed in the research of student-focused suicide prevention programs to evaluate the effects of projects on participants’ post-intervention behaviors and outcomes (Premkumar et al., 2020). The technique will make it possible to determine whether there has been a meaningful change between South Carolina’s suicide rates and annual school attendance, both before and after the state’s adoption of the SCYSPI program.
Since there will be no possible inter-sample comparisons, the survey data will then be quantitatively evaluated using simple descriptive statistics to describe the respondents’ perceptions. In mixed-methods and quantitative research aimed at evaluating student mental health promotion programs or gauging youth well-being, quantitative data summaries, including standard deviations and mean values, are frequently used (Jessiman et al., 2022; Kotera et al., 2023). For each Likert scale question in the survey about the policy incorporation climate, readiness for implementation, and connections between various program actors as perceived by the leaders of school districts participating in the SCYSPI initiative, statistics, including the mean and standard deviation, will be derived. By employing these methods, the researcher will be able to identify patterns in the distribution of viewpoints on the implementation and overall success of the SCYSPI project at the school level.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we note that statistical data from throughout the state, combined with research into how school districts perceive the program, can be used to quantify the overall effectiveness of SCYSPI. This strategy involves creating a survey, gathering statistical information from reliable sources, and conducting descriptive and comparative analyses to inform decision-making. Although there is a wealth of research on evaluating current programs, evaluations of suicide prevention initiatives receive less attention, which emphasizes the need for novel approaches.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Suicide mortality by state.
Jessiman, P., Kidger, J., Spencer, L., Geijer-Simpson, E., Kaluzeviciute, G., Burn, A. M., Leonard, N., & Limmer, M. (2022). School culture and student mental health: A qualitative study in UK secondary schools. BMC Public Health, 22(1), 1-18.
Kotera, Y., Jackson, J., Kirkman, A., Edwards, A., Colman, R., Underhill, A., Jackson, J. G., Baker, D., & Ozaki, A. (2023). Comparing the mental health of healthcare students: Mental health shame and self-compassion in counselling, occupational therapy, nursing and social work students. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 1–18.
Pilar, M., Jost, E., Walsh-Bailey, C., Powell, B. J., Mazzucca, S., Eyler, A. A., Purtle, J., Allen, P., & Brownson, R. C. (2022). Quantitative measures used in empirical evaluations of mental health policy implementation: A systematic review. Implementation Research and Practice, 3, 1–24.
Premkumar, C., Mathew, J., & Jyoti, C. (2020). A study to assess the prevalence of suicide risk behaviour and effectiveness of awareness program regarding suicide prevention among the higher secondary students of selected school, Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Asian Journal of Nursing Education and Research, 10(3), 255-259.