Results from a Pilot Study at 19 Colleges and Universities in Virginia

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1 Identify and Refer Students in Mental Distress Results from a Pilot Study at 19 Colleges and Universities in Virginia Background Each year over 1,350 college students commit suicide and, according to the American College Health Association, almost 10% of all students say they have seriously considered suicide during the past year. Academic institutions have been actively seeking ways to engage their faculty and staff in identifying at-risk students and referring them to their counseling centers, a crucial task considering that close to 80% of students who commit suicide are never seen by a counselor. In April of 2010, Kognito engaged 19 colleges and universities in Virginia in a survey study to analyze the impact of At-Risk, an online gatekeeper training product. This report summarizes the results collected from study participants at these 19 colleges and universities. 1

2 What is At-Risk? At-Risk is an interactive, web-based training simulation that uses educational gaming technology to teach faculty and staff to effectively identify, approach, and refer students exhibiting symptoms of mental distress including depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide. In the simulation, users assume the role of a faculty member who is concerned about five students. Users analyze profiles of these virtual students to identify the three that are at-risk, and engage those students in simulated conversations to determine whether and how to refer them to the counseling center. At-Risk was created by Kognito, a developer of web-based training simulations, in partnership with the Mental Health Association of NYC. A demo can be viewed at Who participated in the study? One hundred and three faculty and staff members at 19 universities participated in the study. 25% of the respondents were trained as mental health practitioners, and thus overqualified to take the course as compared to ordinary faculty. Each participant took the training and then completed an anonymous online survey. The following graphs provide information on the participants demographics. Fig. 1: Age 1% Fig. 2: Years of Experience Fig. 3: Job Role 26% 9% 14% 25% 32% 21% 22% 16% 14% 30% 25% 26% 5% 1% 34% under Years 10+ Years F/T Admin RA Years P/T Admin Gen. Staff or older 6-10 Years F/T Faculty Other 2

3 Prior Training and Experience as Gatekeepers 30% of respondents said they ve never received gatekeeper training, while 99% of them report having a student who concerned them. Thirty percent said they have never received any form of gatekeeper training, while 99% report having had one or more students who they were concerned about. Ninety-six percent of respondents said they have referred at least one student in the past to the counseling center. Fig. 4: Percentage of Faculty Who Never Received Gatekeeper Training 30% Have Not Received Gatekeeper Training 70% Have Received Gatekeeper Training ease-of-use and interest of learneres On average, respondents spent minutes completing the program with 83% saying the length of the program was just right. Ninety-four percent of the respondents said they were easily convinced to take the program. This result shows the strong interest your faculty has in learning more about this topic and their willingness to take the time to engage in hands-on training. 94% said they were easily convinced to take the At-Risk program. 3

4 Changes in Perception and Motivation Seventy-four percent reported At-Risk increased their awareness that identifying and referring students is part of their role as faculty and staff. Sixty-nine percent said that At-Risk increased the likelihood that they will approach and refer students in the future. With statistics showing that only 9% of students seek help at their campus counseling centers, increasing the likelihood that faculty and staff will approach and refer students is an important strategy in reducing the number of undetected at-risk students on campus. 74% reported that At-Risk increased their awareness that identifying and referring students is part of their role as faculty and staff Changes in Knowledge and Skill On average, 77% reported that after taking At-Risk they are better prepared to effectively identify, approach, and refer students exhibiting signs of mental distress. In addition, 65% reported that after taking At-Risk they are more confident in their ability to help a suicidal student. 77% reported that after taking At-Risk they are better prepared to identify, approach and refer students in mental distress. Fig. 5: Percent of Respondents Reporting they are Better Prepared to Identify, Refer, and Approach At-Risk Students and to Help a Suicidal Student % 79% 75% 65% Identify Approach Refer Help Suicidal Student An empirical study currently being conducted at a major college further supports these results. The preliminary results of this study show that subjects who have taken At-Risk are better at applying best practices in identifying, approaching, and referring students than a control group who read a training manual covering similar material. This analysis involved administering a situational judgment task to which all subjects responded. A final report of this study will be published in Q3/10. 4

5 Effectiveness of Instructional Approach 94% reported that the simulated conversations were realistic representations of conversations they had or likely to have with at-risk students. Ninety-five percent reported that engaging in simulated conversations with students who are depressed, anxious, or suicidal and receiving feedback on their decisions was an effective instructional tool in preparing them for similar conversations in real life Fig. 6: Percent of Respondents Who Reported that the Simulated Conversations were Effective in Preparing them for Similiar Conversations in Real Life 5% Not Helpful 65% Helpful 30% Very Helpful Ninety-four percent of respondents also reported that the simulated conversations were realistic representations of conversations they had or likely to have with at-risk students. Finally, 99% said they would recommend At-Risk to their colleagues. Fig. 7: Percent of Respondents Who Would Recommend At-Risk to their Colleagues No 1% Yes 99%

6 Conclusion The results of the survey study strongly suggest that: At-Risk increases awareness among faculty and staff that the role of a gatekeeper is part of their role. At-Risk increases the likelihood that faculty and staff will engage in identifying, approaching, and referring students who exhibits signs of mental distress. At-Risk increases knowledge, skills, and confidence of faculty and staff in identifying, approaching, and referring at-risk students including suicidal students. At-Risk s use of simulated conversations is an effective instructional approach in preparing learners to engage in similar conversations in real life. Sample Comments from this Study: This is an excellent training tool. The simulation is organized well and maintains interest throughout. The simulation gave good options for conversation, helpful advise and excellent summaries. A very good tool. I hope that we will be able to use it with a larger audience in the future. The simluation was engaging and very realistic. Appropriate ideas/ information for faculty - focus on behavior, how to engage in conversation, good ways to frame counseling support. Advice button was helpful - reinforcing, encouraging. Kognito Interactive 150 West 28 Street, Suite 902B New York, NY info@kognito.com (212)