Abstract:

Suicidal behavior includes completed suicides, suicide attempts and signs of suicidal ideation. The age of children plays an important role in suicidal behavior as the suicidal behavior is rare in children under 14, but its incidence grows dramatically in adolescence when it becomes the second leading cause of death. In 2018, 4 completed suicides of children aged 10 to 14 years and 37 completed suicides of adolescents aged 15-19 years were reported in the Czech Republic according to the Czech statistical office (2019). Due to the abolition of the obligation of so-called suicidal reporting, we no longer have an overview of the number of suicidal attempts. Children and adolescents can often find themselves in a situation that they cannot cope with because they have no control over it and they have not yet developed coping strategies to find the help they need (Juhnke, Granello, & Granello, 2010). In the research of risk factors of child and adolescent suicide, the most common causes were problems in the family (in 55%), in a partnership, at school, problems with peers and involvement in police investigations (Kocourková, & Koutka, 2006). The aim of the presented study is to analyze the experience of school psychologists with the suicidal behavior of pupils in primary and secondary schools. Data were obtained from school psychologists (N = 66) through an online self-designed questionnaire and analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. We were interested in the manifestations of pupils' suicidal behavior at school and the ways school psychologists react to it or help prevent it within the school. Regarding the forms of suicidal behavior, school psychologists most often encounter pupils’ suicidal thoughts (78,4 % of school psychologists), suicidal attempts (37,3 %) and pupils’ self-harm (25,5 %). 39,7 % of school psychologists do not work with pupils with suicidal behavior and refer them to other professionals. Only 15,2 % of school psychologists stated that they have a prevention program at school focused on pupils’ suicidal behavior. The big challenge for school psychologists is to find a suitable way how to react to warning signs for pupil suicide, as well as improve the prevention and intervention skills of school psychologists. The obtained results can help improve the prevention and intervention of suicidal behavior in primary and secondary schools.

Keywords:

Suicidal behavior, school psychologists, pupils.