East Tennessee State University Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University Electronic Theses and Dissertations Student Works 12-2015 Suicide Prevention Strategies in Tennessee Community Colleges: A Case Study Sandra Perley East Tennessee State University Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.edu/etd Part of the Community College Education Administration Commons, Counseling Commons, Counseling Psychology Commons, Higher Education Commons, Higher Education Administration Commons, and the Student Counseling and Personnel Services Commons Recommended Citation Perley, Sandra, "Suicide Prevention Strategies in Tennessee Community Colleges: A Case Study" (2015). Electronic Theses and Dissertations.edu/etd/2578 This Dissertation - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For more information, please contact digilib@etsu.
Suicide Prevention Strategies in Tennessee Community Colleges: A Case Study _____________________ A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis East Tennessee State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership _____________________ by Sandra Perley December 2015 _____________________ Dr. Bethany Flora, Chair Dr. Don Good Dr. James Lampley Dr.
Brian Noland Keywords: community colleges, student suicide, suicide, suicide prevention, Tennessee ABSTRACT Suicide Prevention Strategies in Tennessee Community Colleges: A Case Study by Sandra Perley Suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students; annually approximately 1,100 students in institutions of higher education die by suicide. However, most research related to college student suicide was conducted using the sample of 4-year institutions. Community colleges have seldom been included in the sample of suicide research studies. This qualitative case study research explored the student suicide prevention strategies in the 13 community colleges in the Tennessee Board of Regents higher education system.
Data were collected from surveys, institutional web sites, and interviews with institutional personnel. Approximately half of the institutions offer suicide prevention information to students. Technology is used sparsely to educate, screen, or provide suicide referral information. Whereas only six institutions have policies that specifically address suicide, personnel at most institutions identified area agencies that serve as resources for students.
Three common themes relate to the institutional response to a suicidal student: the presence of a response team, the involvement of a counselor, and referrals to community mental health resources. Institutions that employ counselors generally have more educational strategies, more suicide prevention strategies overall, and more policies that specifically address suicide than those that do not employ counselors. Internal and external factors prompted the development of suicide prevention strategies at the institutions. Internal resources such as counselor and faculty support and external 2 resources such as area mental health agencies and community suicide prevention agencies aid in the creation and implementation of suicide prevention efforts.
Lack of resources, competing priorities, and the discomfort surrounding the topic of suicide emerged as themes inhibiting the creation and implementation of suicide prevention efforts in rural institutions. While educational and institutional suicide prevention strategies are employed, most institutional efforts are directed toward preventing students from harming others. 3 DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my daughter Joanne. Sweetheart, we have crossed the river Styx together, but Cerberus would not let us enter.
We returned from our voyage different women, empowered with knowledge and strength that human beings should not possess on this side. However, we are using our knowledge and strength to save others from living with what we have endured. Joanne, always remember Momma loves you. This work is also dedicated to others who have suffered from the heart-wrenching reality of losing a loved one to suicide.
I dedicate this work to you; you can go on. Lastly, this work is dedicated to those who are struggling with thoughts of suicide. You are important. You are loved.
You are a vital part of this world and, despite what you may be thinking now, the universe would have a hole in it if you were not here. Reach out and let us help you. May the results of this work be used to save lives. 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS On December 6, 2011, I buried my husband.
The next morning I sat for my admissions interview for the doctoral program that ultimately culminated into this research. That interview was not conducted in Johnson City, Tennessee, but hundreds of miles away via web conferencing software. Glenna Winters uploaded the software, clicked the buttons, and literally placed my grieved body into a chair for that online interview. She is responsible for the journey to my degree.
Glenna, I am forever grateful. However, that is how things work at Columbia State Community College. Members of the Columbia State “family” wrote recommendations, sat for interviews, reviewed my research survey, and encouraged me when I was tired. Susan Russell insisted that I apply to the ELPA program; Susan, I still have that Sticky Note.
Marilyn Hart also insisted I apply and, like Susan, encouraged me when I was down. Marilia Gerges and Cecelia Johnson were mentors during my internship. I learned from Dr. Gerges that data can be my friend and I can use them to show the good work I am doing.
I learned from Ms. Johnson that, as a leader, it is not about what I need but what I can do for others to support them and help them be successful. There are many more in my Columbia State family who supported me; I thank you all. If there was a Nobel Prize for dealing with frustrated graduate students, it would go to my cohort buddy Dearl Lampley.
Dearl lifted me up when I was down and always gave me an ear when I needed to vent. Thank you, Dearl. Lastly, I want to thank the members of the PPSL 121 Cohort. We were the first totally online EdD cohort at ETSU, and you were all my friends and online support group.
Ann, Susan, Brenda, Yolanda, Sid, Stan, Paul, Tachaka, Cheryl, Jan, Bill, Patty, Angela, and Donna, I thank you all. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT .5 LIST OF TABLES .10 LIST OF FIGURES .12 Statement of the Problem .16 Significance of the Study .17 Scope of the Study .18 Limitations and Delimitations.19 Definition of Terms.20 Overview of the Study .23 College Student Suicide .27 College Student Suicide Prevention Strategies .30 6 Chapter Page Student Education Outside the Classroom .35 The Tennessee Board of Regents System and the Community Colleges .38 The Tennessee Board of Regents .39 The Community Colleges .43 Design of the Study.44 Statement of the Researcher’s Perspective .47 Units of Analysis.49 Document Review Protocol of College Web Sites .51 7 Chapter Page Emergent Institutional Characteristics .51 Data Collection Procedures.56 Credibility and Consistency .61 Cross-case Analysis .62 Survey Results and Web Site Assessments. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS.84 8 Chapter Page Research Subquestion A .86 Recommendations for Further Research .88 Recommendations for Policy .89 Recommendations for Practice .106 APPENDIX A: Institutional Review Board Approval Letter .106 APPENDIX B: Case Descriptions .108 APPENDIX C: Survey Instrument .143 APPENDIX D: Web Site Document Review Protocol.146 APPENDIX E: Interview Guide .149 APPENDIX F: Emails Sent to Respondents .150 APPENDIX G: Modified Interview Guide .153 APPENDIX H: Data Analysis Blueprint .161 9 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Enrollment Status, Age, Gender, and Race Distributions of Students in TBR Community Colleges Fall 2014.
Community College Enrollments and Service Area Suicides. Institutional Response to Suicidal Students from Interview Data. A Comparison of Suicide Prevention Policies and the Employment of a Counselor Across All Institutions. Resources Aiding in the Creation and Implementation of Suicide Prevention Efforts.
76 10 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Community College Service Areas and Suicides in 2010. Location, Setting, Size, and Counseling Resources of the 13 Institutions in the TBR System. Educational Suicide Prevention Strategies on Community College Campuses.
Technological Suicide Prevention Strategies on Community College Campuses. Institutional Suicide Prevention Strategies on Community College Campuses. Institutional Characteristics and Suicide Prevention Strategies in the 13 Institutions. Institutional Response to Suicidal Students.
Factors Prompting the Development of Suicide Prevention Strategies. Factors That Inhibit Suicide Prevention Efforts in Rural Institutions. 78 11 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Suicide is the second leading cause of death in individuals between the ages of 15 and 34 in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2012b). Approximately 40,600 people in the United States died by suicide in 2012 (CDC, 2012a).
Between 2000 and 2009, deaths by suicide increased 15%, surpassing motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of fatal injury in the United States (Rockett et al. Each suicide death seriously affects the lives of at least six survivors (Levine, 2008). This estimate may be higher on a college campus. A college student has numerous classmates, participates in campus organizations, and interacts with others in the college community.
In addition to the shock, confusion, fear, anger, and guilt they may experience, students who know someone who died by suicide may be at an increased risk of suicide themselves (Levine, 2008). Tennesseans are not immune to this tragic loss of life. Approximately 52,000 Tennesseans between the ages of 18 to 29, the age of many college students, seriously consider suicide each year (Crosby, Han, Ortega, Parks, & Gfroerer, 2011).6% of Tennesseans 18 years old or older seriously contemplate suicide yearly (Crosby et al. An estimated 18,000 Tennesseans make suicide plans and approximately 6,000 attempt suicide each year (Crosby et al.
In 2012, 978 Tennesseans died by suicide (CDC, 2012a). Suicide has been a leading cause of death among college students for over 80 years (Schwartz, 2006b). It is currently the second leading cause of death for college students; approximately 1,100 students in institutions of higher education die by suicide yearly (Hass, Silverman, & Koestner, 2005; Turner, Leno, & Keller, 2013). The rate of college student suicide ranges between 6.0 per 100,000 students (Schwartz, 2011; Turner et al.
12 College students are in a state of life transition (Stanley, Mallon, Bell, & Manthorpe, 2009; Westefeld et al.5% of students report difficulty managing academics, 34.4% report difficulty managing finances, 23.8% have difficulty with career issues, 28.8% suffer from family problems, and 32.7% have difficulty with intimate relationships (American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment [ACHA-NCHA], 2012). These data reflect the many transitional areas of college student life. Research also indicates that many college students are not adjusting well to college life. Approximately 90% of college students report being stressed and 42.5% report experiencing above average levels of stress (ACHA-NCHA, 2012).
Fifty-one percent of college students report feeling overwhelmed and 19.6% report overwhelming anxiety (ACHA-NCHA, 2012).6% of students feel hopeless, 15.8% feel so depressed they have difficulty functioning, and 23% of students report feeling lonely (ACHA-NCHA, 2012). These students may lack the skills and social support that serve as protective factors against suicide. In fact, 6% of undergraduate college students surveyed had seriously considered suicide; 92% of these students contemplated suicidal methods and 14% actually attempted suicide (Drum, Brownson, Denmark, & Smith, 2009). Statement of the Problem Community college students are different from students in 4-year colleges and universities.
In addition to the transitions encountered by other college students, community college students are more likely to be first-generation college students (Green, 2006; Joshi, Beck, & Nsiah, 2009), more ethnically and racially diverse than students in 4-year colleges and universities (Green, 2006; Joshi et al., 2009; McColloch & Miller, 2010; Wellman, Desrochers, & Lenihan, 2008), employed more hours while attending college (Joshi et al., 2009), from low- 13 income families (Green, 2006; Joshi et al., 2009), and assessed with a lower academic aptitude (Joshi et al. The community college student endeavors to overcome these obstacles while attempting college-level courses (Green, 2006).