Among those at Higher Risk for Suicide, Study Finds Key Factors that Drive 988 Lifeline Usage: Someone to Talk to 24/7 and Free Access

Today the Ad Council Research Institute in partnership with the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention Action Alliance and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center SPRC and supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration SAMHSA have released crucial findings about the public39s awareness perspectives and current and potential usage of the 988 Suicide ampamp Crisis Lifeline As part of the collaborative 988 Formative Research Project the partners are publishing insights and an actionable toolkit that can be used by individuals and organizations in their outreach and messaging efforts about mental health to make researchinformed decisions about how to encourage use of and access to 988A number of participants ages 1334 14 said their mental health is somewhat or much worse compared to a year ago though it was slightly higher among 1334yearold American IndianAlaska Native participants 17 and Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders 19 For LGBTQIA participants and participants who have experienced suicidal ideation this increased to nearly a quarter 23 eachThe mixedmethods formative research study focused on key populations at higher risk for or disproportionately impacted by suicide found thatRoughly half of the respondents were aware of 988 but most said they don39t know much about itYoung adults ages 1334 especially those who are Black and LGBTQIA participants ages 1349 were more likely than other populations in the study to say they39d use 988 whereas rural older men ages 49 were least likely to say they39d use itThose who would consider using 988 when struggling with their mental health found its 247 availability most helpful Other top reasons includedThe ability to communicate with someone who39s trained to helpIt39s anonymousThe ability to communicate with a real personIt39s freeThose who would not consider using 988 would not do so due to concerns ofCredibility and privacy especially for rural older men ages 49Opening up to a stranger particularly among young adults ages 1334Someone being called as a result of their contacting 988amp8212like their parents among teens law enforcement or a hospital This was especially noted among those who have experienced suicidal ideationFor receiving information on 988 the majority of study participants would most trust and turn to family and friends followed by professional healthcare resourcesA toolkit for supporting culturally sensitive responsive and successful communications is also available at www988messagingorgresearch This toolkit is designed to help organizations that reach the publicamp8213including nonprofits state and local government entities and others build awareness and trust in 988 The toolkit provides strategic insights that can be used by communicators to craft and test more effective and personalized messages and campaigns tailored for each of the study cohorts which includedAmerican Indian and Alaska Native youth and young adults ages 1334Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander youth and young adults ages 1334Black youth and young adults ages 1334Hispanic youth and young adults ages 1334Individuals who had attempted suicide or had serious thoughts of suicide during their lifetime age 13LGBTQIA individuals ages 1349People with disabilities 13Rural older men ages 49amp160quotThis research strengthens our ability to effectively message about 988 and is an important step in understanding how to better support populations that are more impacted by suicidequot said Colleen Carr MPH Director of the Action Alliance quotThe Action Alliance and SPRC are eager to share these findings with partners across the country working to raise awareness of 988 among their communities This research is a valuable foundation though we know more work is needed to develop test and enhance 988 communications and campaigns and better understand additional populations at high risk of suicidequotquotWe are immensely grateful for the unwavering support and dedication of our partners in this vital research initiative Through collaborative efforts like these we can not only raise awareness about 988 but ensure that it truly serves as a lifeline for people most at risk andor disproportionally impacted by suicide Together we can make strides to ensure everyone knows they have someone who is skilled compassionate and will listen 247 without cost when they are struggling with their mental healthquot said Derrick Feldmann Lead Researcher and Managing Director of the Ad Council Research Institute This study is an extension of the Ad Council39s large scale national Mental Health InitiativeThe research also uncovered important findings about trusted messengers from the study39s population groups Additional formative research is currently underway among trusted messengers identified by this study39s cohorts Those research findings are expected to be available in 2024Learn more about the 988 Formative Research at www988messagingorgresearch or download the report herePosted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership selfpublishing platformClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageorgMyersBizNet

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