A Social-Emotional Learning Program for Suicide Prevention through Animal-Assisted Intervention

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Youth suicide is a global public health problem. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in the age group between 15 and 29 years, after injuries due to traffic accidents, tuberculosis, and interpersonal violence. For this reason, the reduction of mortality by suicide is one of the WHO’s priority objectives. Here we describe a pilot study evaluating the OverCome-AAI program, a pioneering animal-assisted intervention for preventing suicidal behavior. After the intervention, the young people showed reductions in suicidal behavior and non-suicidal self-harm, as well as a greater predisposition to seek help. Mental pain was less intense, although no changes in symptoms of hopelessness or depression were found. The results of this pilot study suggest that the inclusion of specially prepared and trained animals can promote socio-emotional learning for preventing suicidal behavior in high-risk populations. ABSTRACT: The aim of the study was to carry out a pilot implementation and evaluation of the OverCome-AAI program, a pioneering program for the prevention of suicidal behavior through animal-assisted interventions for young people with high risk factors for suicidal behavior. The study sample consisted of 30 adolescents (11 boys and 19 girls) aged between 14 and 17 years (Mean age = 15.50, SD = 1.60) from the Basque Country (Northern Spain). After the intervention, subjects presented reductions in suicidal ideation, suicide plans, and non-suicidal self-harm, as well as a greater predisposition to seek help. A reduction in the intensity of mental pain was also found, although no differences were observed in indicators of hopelessness and depression. The preliminary results obtained in this pilot study suggest that the OverCome-AAI program may be effective in reducing suicidal behavior and non-suicidal self-harm in young people in residential care who present high risk factors for suicide.