More than 100 students take new questionnaire
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, but USC is taking preventative steps with the help of a new online tool.
The Interactive Screening Program is an anonymous screening test which detects varying degrees of stress and depression by evaluating a series of online questions.
In partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, a non-profit organization dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide, ISP is intended to identify at-risk students and encourage them to seek treatment.
The program has been a part of USC’s suicide prevention plan since the spring of 2012 has been available to USC students for one semester now, according to Jennifer Myers, USC’s coordinator of suicide prevention services.
The South Carolina chapter of AFSP will provide initial funding for a period of three years, according to Helen Pridgen, AFSP’s South Carolina area director.
Toby Lovell, the assistant director of community based services, has taken part in sending invitations to students urging them to participate in the screening. Upon completion, a counselor at the Counseling and Human Development Center responds to each individual questionnaire, according to Myers. The student can either meet with a counselor in person or talk online using a dialogue feature.
“I think of it as an email version of chat. The content is like chat, but the response time is more like an email,” Myers said through email.
According to Myers, students can use this aspect of the program to ask questions about counseling, confidentiality or cost.
The survey’s dialogue feature significantly increases student participation, according to published studies referenced on the AFSP website. The findings concluded that students who engaged in such dialogue with an ISP counselor were roughly three times more likely to schedule a face-to-face meeting and enter treatment.
The program has also found success here at USC.
More than 100 USC students have participated in the program so far and about a quarter have scheduled at least one face-to-face meeting, according to Myers.
Myers is optimistic about the program and feels that it will help students.
“It is a way of reducing barriers to getting help. It also helps students feel more comfortable, become aware of our services and know ... that things can get better,” Myers said.
Students can access the online tool at www.sa.sc.edu/shs/chdc under the“Mental Health Screening” tab.