Agency,perception, space and subjectivity

Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences - The goal of this paper is to illuminate the connections between agency, perception, subjectivity, space and the body. Such connections have been the...     

Impact of Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

We examined the impact of the implementation of Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) across the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline's national network of crisis hotlines. Data were derived from 1,507 monitored calls from 1,410 suicidal individuals to 17 Lifeline centers in 2008–2009. Callers were significantly more likely to feel less depressed, less suicidal, less overwhelmed, and more hopeful by the end of calls handled by ASIST‐trained counselors. Few significant changes in ASIST‐trained counselors' interventions emerged; however, improvements in callers' outcomes were linked to ASIST‐related counselor interventions, including exploring reasons for living and informal support contacts. ASIST training did not yield more comprehensive suicide risk assessments.     

Adolescents' Attitudes About the Role of Mental Illness in Suicide,and Their Association with Suicide Risk

We examined teenagers' attitudes about the role of mental illness in suicidal behavior and the relationship between these attitudes and suicide risk. Serious suicidal ideation or behavior and associated risk factors (gender, depression, substance problems, and first‐hand experience with a suicidal peer) were assessed in 2,419 students at six New York high schools. Less than one fifth of students thought that mental illness was a major contributor to suicide. Suicidal adolescents and those at risk were less likely than their nonsuicidal and low‐risk counterparts to associate suicide with mental illness. Our findings contribute to the debate over whether accepting attitudes toward suicide increase suicide risk.     

Coaching Generation Z Athletes

How Generation Z athletes' (those born after 1996) characteristics influence coaching practice has not been examined. This study examines coaches' perceptions of Gen Z athlete characteristics, challenges, and effective coaching strategies. Twelve highly experienced coaches and sport science providers were interviewed and revealed that coaches characterized Gen Z athletes as having excellent technology skills, high expectations for success, short attention spans, poor communication skills, and an inability to deal with adversity. Challenges included connecting with them and working with their support networks. Strategies included connecting process with performance, teaching communication skills, being direct, setting clear expectations, and building resiliency.

Lay Summary

Coaches' perceptions of Gen Z athletes (athletes born after 1996 and having grown up in a totally digital world) characteristics, the challenges working with them, and effective Gen Z coaching strategies were examined. Interviews with 12 highly experienced tennis coaches revealed both positive (e.g., highly educated, high expectations for success) and negative (e.g., finding ways to connect with them, working with support network) characteristics, as well as strategies for effectively coaching them (e.g., connecting process with performance, teaching basic communication skills).     

Reasons for Attempting Suicide among a Community Sample of Adolescents

The motives of suicide attempts among a community sample of 99 U.S. high school students were explored. Participants completed an in‐depth computer‐assisted self interview about their most recent attempts as well as additional psychosocial measures. Results indicated that nearly 75% of the adolescents engaged in suicide attempts for reasons other than killing themselves and that depressive symptoms and premeditation prior to the attempt were significantly associated with increased risk for engaging in the attempts with death as a clear motive. Linking motive for an attempt (death, interpersonal communication, emotion regulation) and treatment approach may improve prevention of subsequent attempts and completed suicides.