Beyond the Wall: Death Education at Middle School as Suicide Prevention

Ines Testoni, Elisa Tronca, Gianmarco Biancalani, Lucia Ronconi and Giovanna Calapai
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Ines Testoni: Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education and Applied Psychology (FISPPA), University of Padova, Via Venezia 14, 35131 Padua, Italy
Elisa Tronca: Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education and Applied Psychology (FISPPA), University of Padova, Via Venezia 14, 35131 Padua, Italy
Gianmarco Biancalani: Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education and Applied Psychology (FISPPA), University of Padova, Via Venezia 14, 35131 Padua, Italy
Lucia Ronconi: Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education and Applied Psychology (FISPPA), University of Padova, Via Venezia 14, 35131 Padua, Italy
Giovanna Calapai: Alma.Thi Association, 36016 Thiene, Italy

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 7, 1-12

Abstract: This study investigates the psychological effects of participation in Death Education (DeEd) by middle school children in two towns in northeast Italy in which suicides occur to a greater extent than in the rest of the region. The aims of the project “Beyond the Wall” were inherent to the prevention of suicide, address existential issues and enhance the meaning of life through positive intentions for the future and reflection on mortality. It involved eight classes (150 students in four classes in the experimental group; 81 in four classes in the control group) engaging with films, workgroup activities, photovoice and psychodrama. The constructs of resilience, emotional competency and psychological well-being were monitored with the Resilience Scale for Adolescents, the Hopelessness Scale for Children, the Alexithymia Questionnaire for Children and the Stirling Children’s Well-being Scale. The DeEd intervention was found to be significantly related to some of the variables investigated, improving the students’ ability to recognise emotions and communicate them verbally while maintaining stable initial characteristics, such as psychological well-being and positive expectations for the future.

Keywords: adolescence suicide prevention; death education; psychodrama; photovoice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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