This study aims to assess the impact of LIFE training on educational staff’s confidence in communication skills that can support students in suicidal distress.
LIFE training is a school-based suicide prevention course designed to develop educational staff’s skills in suicide prevention. Pre-and post-questionnaires were administered to assess participant’s confidence in five domains before and after course delivery. Data was analysed using unpaired T-test.
Results showed a statistically significant improvement in overall confidence level post-course, as well as across three of the four specific domains. These domains included areas of identifying and asking about suicide, supporting resilience through value-guided actions, and safety planning. Confidence in listening with empathy remained high post-course, but this result did not reach statistical significance.
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the impact of LIFE training as a suicide prevention course, providing credibility for its wider implementation. It also demonstrates that communication skills can be successfully transferred, even to non-healthcare staff with minimal experience.
