2010

One of the core activities of the Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) Campus Suicide Prevention Grant Program for universities, funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is to develop mental health informational materials for campus students and their families. Mental health information is vitally important on college campuses because it serves to educate college students and their families on mental health issues that impact them, decrease mental health stigma, and facilitate conducive help-seeking attitudes and behaviors (e.g., early identification of at-risk students and utilization of mental health services, when needed). The primary delivery method of mental health information on grantee campuses is through their Campus Suicide Prevention Website. Thus, the focus of this study was to determine how to develop an effective campus suicide prevention website for presenting mental health information to commuter campus students and their families. A secondary focus of the study was to identify effective social marketing methods to encourage commuter campus students and their families to visit, and revisit, the campus suicide prevention program website as needed.