A suicide prevention initiative across a multi-campus university before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Increasing rates of depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors among college students were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This report describes how components of the Johns Hopkins Suicide Prevention Awareness, Response and Coordination (JH-SPARC) Project aligned with a multi-faceted strategy for suicide prevention. Key programs included suicide screening, gatekeeper trainings, and the use of third-party mental health services. Regarding suicide screening outcomes, staff sent 36,148 individual emails inviting students and trainees to participate in stress and depression screening. This approach garnered 2,634 responses and connected 130 students to care, 66 of whom (50.8%) indicated suicidal thoughts, plans, or behaviors. We estimate this screening cost $2.97 per student. Important lessons included the reliance on virtual platforms and the need to coordinate efforts across multiple campuses. Our manuscript provides an example of a transferable strategy for suicide prevention on college campuses in the pandemic era.

Keywords:

• Clinical medicine
• counseling
• COVID-19
• mental health
• suicide prevention

Acknowledgments

We also thank Mary Vincitore, MS, LCPC, former Assistant Director of JHSAP and now Director of Student Services Operations, Spyridon Marinopoulos, MD, MBA, former Director of UHS, Elizabeth Kastelic, MD, Director of UHS Mental Health, Clare Lochary, Student Health and Well-being Communications Associate, Kevin Shollenberger, Vice Provost for Student Health and Well-Being, Sunil Kumar, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Rosalyn Blogier, LCSW-C, SAMHSA Public Health Advisor, Maggie G. Mortali, MPH, AFSP Senior Director, Interactive Screening Program, and Laura Hoffman, Senior Manager, Interactive Screening Program, who made significant contributions to the JH-SPARC initiative.

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States. No human subjects research took place in the suicide prevention program described here and therefore did not require IRB approval.

Additional information

Funding

This work was in part supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number H79 SM080079. The views, policies, and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of SAMHSA or HHS. The authors thank the students, faculty, staff, and leadership of Johns Hopkins University.