Institute for Mental and Behavioral Health Research (IMBHR) at Nationwide Children's Hospital/Center for Suicide Prevention and Research (CSPR)

Center for Suicide Prevention and Research (CSPR)

"To save children's lives and reduce suicide in Ohio and beyond though prevention efforts and cutting-edge research."

The Center for Suicide Prevention and Research (CSPR) is a cornerstone of IMBHR. CSPR was created to address the growing problem of suicide among youth in central Ohio. Jeff Bridge, Ph.D. is the director of CSPR.

About CSPR

CSPR's strategic goals include the following:

• Conduct research aimed at:
  • Understanding the epidemiology of child and youth suicide and suicidal behavior.
  • Examining risk and protective factors that contribute to youth suicide and attempted suicide.
  • Developing and testing evidence-based intervention strategies that reduce suicide and suicide attempts for youth in healthcare settings.
  • Implementing effective suicide prevention interventions and strategies in real world settings such as schools, community centers, and faith-based organizations.
• Foster the development and implementation of school-based programs, such as the Signs of Suicide (SOS) prevention program, to prevent youth suicide and attempted suicide in Ohio and promote methods for evaluating outcomes.

Nationally, suicide has emerged as the second leading cause of death for children ages 10-19 years old.

• Nearly 1 in 6 teens has seriously contemplated suicide in the past year.
• Suicide affects people of all backgrounds.
• Early identification of risk factors can aid behavioral health specialists in implementing prevention strategies for youth at risk of suicide.
• Suicide is complex and tragic, yet often preventable if communities are provided with the right tools.

In response to NCH's behavioral health initiative, the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research (CSPR) was created in 2015 to address the growing problem of suicide among youth. CSPR is a joint partnership with Big Lots Behavioral Health Pavilion and the Abigail Wexner Research Institute, allowing for the development and implementation of evidence-based prevention strategies.

Prevention

The CSPR prevention team supports school, healthcare, and youth-serving community organizations in Ohio implement effective and sustainable suicide prevention programs. The CSPR prevention team increases community awareness and reduces mental health stigma through presentations, trainings, and actionable resources informed by the latest research on youth suicide prevention.

The CSPR prevention team offers a wide variety of services, including:

• Offering multiple evidence-based youth suicide prevention programs available to schools, healthcare, and community partners.
• Training and education opportunities for community members and professionals.
• Consultation and support for schools, healthcare, and community partners on best practices in suicide pre- and post-vention on the local and national level.

View Programs and Services

Meet our Team

Information about Suicidal Behaviors

Suicide Prevention Resources

Research

Researchers in the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research (CSPR) conduct epidemiological and intervention studies on child and youth suicide and suicidal behavior to inform policy, improve the delivery of services for suicidal youth, and ultimately prevent suicide and suicidal behavior.

Learn more about the research projects and publications of our investigators and research teams, including our epidemiological studies and publications on the increase in suicide deaths after Netflix's release of 13 Reasons Why, noncompliance surrounding the guidelines for reporting suicide deaths in the media after the deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdaine and the disparities in black youth attempting and dying by suicide, and more.

• Epidemiology (Risk Among Children With Certain Conditions)
• Health Service Use
• Special Populations
• Racial/Ethnic Disparities
• Age Trends
• Regional Differences
• Suicide Risk Screening and Interventions
• The Media and Suicide

Research Labs

Bridge Lab

The Bridge Lab focuses on the epidemiology of suicidal behavior in young people and neurocognitive vulnerability to suicidal behavior, as well as improving the quality of care for suicidal youth and adolescents who have attempted suicide.

Fontanella Lab

Under the direction of Cynthia Fontanella, PhD, the Fontanella Lab is interested in examining and improving quality of care for children and youth. Their primary goal is to understand the relationship between suicide and health service use.

Ruch Lab

The Ruch Lab is focused on improving behavioral health and suicide related outcomes across youth serving systems (juvenile justice, child welfare, healthcare, education) to better inform suicide prevention strategies.

CSPR Researchers Awarded P50 Center Grant Funding to Support New ASPIRES Center

The Center for Accelerating Suicide Prevention in Real-World Settings (ASPIRES) aims to accelerate the development and implementation of effective interventions to reduce suicide in children and adolescents.

Supported by P50 Center grant funding from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Center for Accelerating Suicide Prevention in Real-World Settings (ASPIRES) aims to accelerate the development and implementation of effective interventions to reduce suicide in children and adolescents. Jeff Bridge, PhD, director of the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research (CSPR) in the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and Cynthia Fontanella, PhD, a principal investigator in CSPR, lead ASPIRES and its investigators as co-directors.

The goal of the ASPIRES pilot program, Practice-Based Research on Youth Suicide Prevention, is to fund small-scale, innovative or exploratory research focused on youth suicide prevention.

Publications

View all CSPR publications here.