WITHDRAWN: Using Concept Mapping Methodology to Guide Youth Suicide Prevention Efforts

Introduction: Youth suicide is a national problem with long lasting and far-reaching consequences. The process of researching youth suicide and the development of prevention programs rarely, if ever, include those who are most intimately affected by suicide. Youth who have had personal experiences with suicide offer unique and invaluable perspectives that can greatly impact the development and successful implementation of suicide prevention efforts.

Methods: In order to promote the direct inclusion of youth in teen suicide prevention research, we partnered with an established youth advisory council, the Youth Council for Suicide Prevention (YCSP) to conduct a concept mapping (CM) study focused on youth suicide prevention. Needed was a method to conceptualize the many and diverse ideas into a multi-faceted model of prevention from the perspective of these young people. CM is a participatory mixed-methods research approach that integrates qualitative and quantitative data collection methods of brainstorming, card sorting, and ratings with the multivariate statistical techniques of multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis to create a data-driven visual representation of thoughts or ideas of a group (Burke et al., 2005; Kane & Trochim, 2007; Trochim, 1989). Specifically, adolescents were asked to (a) identify and describe their perspectives about stopping teen suicide, and (b) explore the relative importance and ease of implementation of different strategies to prevent suicide. Multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis were applied to the sorting to produce maps that illustrated the conceptual thinking about strategies to prevent teen suicide. The mean values of importance and difficulty were computed for all ideas within each cluster

Results: 237 youth brainstormed strategies to prevent suicide; 23 members of the YCSP sorted strategies into groups and rated their importance and feasibility. The visual maps represented eight clusters: creating safe environments (most important); education and communication about mental health; showing care and compassion (easier to implement); encouragement and suicide prevention for teens; acceptance and recognition of differences; connecting teens to help; support and reaching out; being an ally

Conclusions: CM clarified multifaceted issues of suicide prevention from the perspective of youth. The results will guide the YCSP’s future efforts in prevention and research.

References:

Burke, J., O'Campo, P., Peak, G., Gielen, A., McDonnell, K., & Trochim, W. (2005). An introduction to concept mapping as a participatory public health research method. Qualitative Health Research, 15, 1392-1410.

Kane, M., & Trochim, W. M. K. (2007). Concept mapping for planning and analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Trochim, W. (1989). An introduction to concept map­ping for planning and evaluation. Evaluation and Program Planning, 12, 1–16.