How Parents Can Improve Teen Safety and Well-Being

Parents are important in suicide prevention

Suicide prevention programs that work involve all parts of a teen's life: home, school, and the entire community. You have a unique chance to help teens at home. This page will teach you how to identify suicide warning signs in your child or your child's friends. It will also teach you how to get them the help they need.

You can prevent suicide by

Common myths about suicide

• FALSE. People who talk about or threaten suicide rarely attempt suicide.
• FALSE. If you talk to teens about their suicidal thoughts, this will cause them to commit suicide.
• FALSE. It is OK to keep others' suicidal thoughts a secret if they ask.

Statistics

• Suicide is the THIRD leading cause of death for 15-24 year olds nationwide.
• 17% of U.S. high school students report serious thoughts of suicide.
• Among youth between the ages of 15 and 24, New Mexico has the third highest suicide rate in the nation.
• Suicide is the number one preventable cause of death.

Warning Signs

1. Suicide threats: Teens say that they think about or want to commit suicide
2. Previous Attempts: Teens have tried to kill themselves before or hurt themselves on purpose
3. Depression: Teens feel sad or easily annoyed, have trouble paying attention to schoolwork, or avoid friends and family
4. Unusual behavior: Sudden changes in how they look, think, or act
5. Final arrangements: Teens give away belongings, visit friends to say goodbye, or talk about funeral plans

What you can do - Follow the "LIFE" model

Four simple letters will remind you how you can help teens who may be thinking about hurting themselves:

Listen: Let them talk openly about how they feel. Try not to give advice. Avoid acting shocked or angry. Do not make them feel guilty. Do not minimize or take their problems too lightly.

Insist on honesty: Talk honestly with them about how serious their thoughts and feelings are. Never promise to keep what they tell you a secret.

Feelings: Tell them that you care and that you want to know how they feel.

Extend a helping hand: Let them know that they are not alone and that you are there to help. DO NOT leave a suicidal teen alone. Be willing to seek professional help and guidance. For example, contact a doctor, school counselor, psychologist, teacher, or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Help Us Improve Our Prevention Program

Will You Help Us?
We are evaluating the effectiveness of the parent training component of the Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) prevention program. We need the help of parents like you to improve the program and better help students in APS! If you are willing to help, please keep reading. The following information is being presented to help you decide whether you want to take part in a brief survey.

General Information About the Survey
The survey will take approximately five minutes and will be anonymous (you will not be asked to provide your name or contact information). Questions on the survey will ask general demographic information and how well you know information regarding how parents can improve teen safety and well-being. After completing the survey, you will be directed to the parent training information. Once you have read the training information, you will be directed to a final survey to determine what you have learned. The entire process should take less than 15 minutes.

Payment and Potential Benefits and Risks of Participation
You will not be paid for your participation, but the knowledge gained from your help will assist to improve APS' parent training program and help youth in Albuquerque. Risks from participating in this survey are minimal; at most, you may feel uncomfortable answering some questions about your knowledge of how to improve teen safety and well-being, although many people find answering these questions interesting and enjoyable.

Confidentiality
In order to protect your privacy, any information you provide will be anonymous, meaning it will not be linked to your name, your child's name, or any other identifying information. Rather, your information will be assigned an identification number that will be used in place of your name. Your anonymous survey information will be kept confidential to the extent of the law.

Volunteering to Participate
Your decision to take this survey is completely voluntary. This means you do not have to take the survey in order to read the parent training information. (If you do not want to participate in the survey at this time, click here to continue to the training module without taking the survey.) If you decide to take the survey, you are free to stop at any time or skip any questions you do not want to answer. If you choose not to participate or to withdraw from the evaluation, this will not affect your current relationship with the Albuquerque School District.

Questions and Contacts
If you have any questions about the survey or in the event of evaluation-related harm, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it at 1-800-215-9486. If you have questions about your rights as a person taking part in an evaluation, you may contact the Division of Research Integrity and Compliance of the University of South Florida at (813) 974-9343.

Consent to Take Part in the Survey
By clicking on the link below, I agree that:

• I have fully read this informed consent explaining the evaluation.
• I understand that I am being asked to take part in an evaluation and that participation is completely voluntary. I understand the potential risks and benefits of participating in the evaluation.
• I am willingly giving my consent to participate in the evaluation outlined on this page, under the conditions indicated within it.

Please click below to begin the training module:

"How Parents Can Improve Teen Safety and Well-Being"