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Effect of Suicide Prevention Education on Suicide Prevention Knowledge among Secondary School Teachers in Nigeria

Abstract

Suicide and suicidal behaviour are important public health concerns that require effective prevention, early recognition, and timely intervention. Secondary school teachers occupy an important position in adolescent support because they interact with students regularly and may observe changes in behaviour, mood, academic performance, social relationships, and functioning that could indicate emotional or psychological difficulties. However, inadequate suicide prevention knowledge, misconceptions, stigma, uncertainty about warning signs, and limited knowledge of appropriate referral pathways may reduce teachers' ability to respond effectively to students experiencing suicide-related distress. Suicide prevention education provides an opportunity to strengthen teachers' understanding of suicide risk factors, warning signs, protective factors, appropriate communication, crisis response, referral procedures, and available mental health support services. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of suicide prevention education on suicide prevention knowledge among secondary school teachers in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory, and Mental Health Literacy Framework. The Health Belief Model explains how teachers' perceptions of suicide risk, perceived severity of suicide-related outcomes, perceived benefits of suicide prevention education, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence their willingness to acquire and apply suicide prevention knowledge. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes the roles of knowledge, self-efficacy, observational learning, social support, and the school environment in shaping teachers' ability to respond to students experiencing psychological distress. The Mental Health Literacy Framework emphasizes recognition of mental health problems and warning signs, knowledge of appropriate help-seeking pathways, understanding of prevention strategies, and the ability to provide or facilitate appropriate support. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how suicide prevention education may influence suicide prevention knowledge among secondary school teachers in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental or analytical cross-sectional research design. The study population will comprise teachers employed in selected public and private secondary schools across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select states, local government areas, schools, and eligible teachers. Suicide prevention education will be measured using indicators such as exposure to structured suicide prevention training, number and duration of educational sessions, training content, recognition of suicide warning signs, knowledge of risk factors, protective factors, appropriate communication, crisis response, referral procedures, gatekeeper responsibilities, stigma reduction, available mental health services, school-based prevention strategies, and use of educational materials and practical scenarios. Suicide prevention knowledge will be assessed using indicators such as teachers' ability to recognize warning signs, identify suicide risk factors and protective factors, understand appropriate ways of responding to a student in distress, distinguish appropriate supportive communication from harmful responses, identify appropriate referral pathways, understand the importance of immediate professional assistance in high-risk situations, and recognize relevant school-based prevention resources. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires and appropriately validated suicide prevention knowledge or gatekeeper training assessment instruments administered before and after the educational intervention where a quasi-experimental design is used. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize teachers' demographic and professional characteristics, baseline suicide prevention knowledge, exposure to education, and post-intervention knowledge levels. Inferential statistical techniques, including paired or independent sample tests, chi-square tests, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the effect of suicide prevention education on teachers' suicide prevention knowledge. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that suicide prevention education has a significant positive effect on suicide prevention knowledge among secondary school teachers in Nigeria. Teachers exposed to structured suicide prevention education are expected to demonstrate improved knowledge of warning signs, risk factors, protective factors, appropriate communication, referral procedures, and available support services compared with their baseline knowledge or teachers without similar educational exposure. Education may also improve teachers' confidence in recognizing students who may require immediate support and facilitate timely connection with school counsellors, mental health professionals, healthcare providers, parents or guardians, and appropriate emergency services. Practical, scenario-based training may help teachers understand appropriate responses and reduce misconceptions and stigmatizing attitudes associated with suicide and mental health problems. Conversely, stigma, cultural misconceptions, inadequate training resources, limited access to mental health professionals, fear of discussing suicide, uncertainty about confidentiality, heavy teaching workloads, and weak school referral systems may limit the effectiveness of suicide prevention education. The study therefore expects structured, practical, culturally appropriate, and sustained suicide prevention education to contribute significantly to improved suicide prevention knowledge among secondary school teachers in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on suicide prevention education, suicide prevention knowledge, teacher gatekeeper training, adolescent mental health, school mental health, mental health literacy, health education, early recognition of suicide risk, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Education, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, state ministries of education and health, school administrators, teachers, school counsellors, psychologists, psychiatrists, public health practitioners, youth organizations, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for strengthening school-based suicide prevention capacity. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating suicide prevention education into teacher training and continuing professional development, strengthening school-based mental health programmes, establishing clear and confidential referral pathways, improving access to trained mental health professionals, reducing stigma, and promoting early recognition and appropriate support for students experiencing suicide-related distress across secondary schools in Nigeria.

Keywords: Suicide prevention education, suicide prevention knowledge, secondary school teachers, gatekeeper training, adolescent mental health, school mental health, mental health literacy, suicide prevention, teacher training, health education, Nigeria, public health.