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Awareness, Attitudes, and Use of Crisis Hotlines among Youth At‐Risk for Suicide
Author(s) -
Crosby Budinger Meghan,
Cwik Mary F.,
Riddle Mark A.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
suicide and life‐threatening behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.544
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1943-278X
pISSN - 0363-0234
DOI - 10.1111/sltb.12112
Subject(s) - hotline , psychology , phone , suicide prevention , crisis intervention , poison control , environmental health , medicine , psychiatry , engineering , telecommunications , philosophy , linguistics
Crisis hotlines have been central to suicide prevention efforts; however, utilization among youth remains low. A sample of at‐risk youth was surveyed about their awareness, utilization, and attitudes toward local and national crisis hotlines. Youth reported low rates of awareness and utilization, yet expressed a strong interest in phone hotlines (41% vs. 59% for new media categories combined). Youth reported stigma, but that help‐seeking could be positively influenced by peers and adults in their support system. Implications include making crisis services available across several mediums and the importance of engaging trusted others in youth suicide awareness campaigns and prevention efforts.