A research team from Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu leads a study to understand and prevent suicidal behaviour in young people

Suicide has become an issue of global significance and a major public health concern. According to the World Health Organization, over 700,000 people die each year as victims of suicide and, for each person who commits suicide, there are twenty more who try. Suicide is the second cause of death in young people between 15 and 29 years old in Catalonia.

In view of this situation, a Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu research team has launched a study that is expected to involve more than 800 young people between 16 and 29 years old from all over Catalonia. The aim is to analyse the risk and protective factors associated with suicidal behaviour and, at the same time, involve society in this problem through visits to schools and adult education centres to promote dialogue and raise awareness in the education community.

Under the name PROSIA-Y (Protective and Risk factors on Suicide Ideation and Attempts in Young Populations), the project, led by Judith Usall i Rodié, psychiatrist and coordinator of the Etiopathogenesis and Treatment of Serious Mental Disorders (MERITT) group, has funding from the la Caixa Foundation's Social Observatory through the 2023 Social Research Call aimed at research that stands out for its excellence, innovative character and clear social orientation.

A project that involves educational centres

Since October 2024, the project has visited more than 21 educational centres in 16 different towns and cities, directly impacting over 1,600 students and teachers. These visits have consisted of talks and activities designed to raise awareness about emotional health and preventing suicidal behaviour, an initiative that has been received very enthusiastically by the educational community.

These centres give the researchers an opportunity to present the study survey and recruit participants, encourage open dialogue about mental well-being and provide practical tools that help young people and educational staff to recognise and deal with risk situations.

“The aim is to get closer to young people where they are, listen to their concerns and offer them resources that they can use in their day-to-day lives,” comments Dr Regina Vila, a researcher in the PROSIA-Y team.

This practical, community-based approach has not only enabled us to better understand the factors that affect their mental health, but also to establish bonds of trust with educational centres, which play a key role in detecting and preventing situations of risk.

The isolation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing use of social media have profoundly transformed the way young people and teenagers interact and manage their emotions. These developments, combined with other factors such as traumatic experiences or a lack of social support, are among the elements that the PROSIA-Y project aims to analyse and understand.

“The response from educational centres has been extraordinary. They open their doors to us and get involved, aware that there are more and more young people with emotional difficulties who need support,” explains Dr Usall.

This project not only studies factors that increase the risk of suicide, such as depression or childhood trauma, but also focuses on elements that can protect young people, such as resilience, coping strategies and social support. It also introduces a gender perspective to analyse how these factors may vary among young people and teenagers.

How to participate in the PROSIA-Y project

People between the ages of 16 and 29 interested in contributing to this research can access the form through this link: https://redcap.link/PROSIA-Y. The questionnaire takes 15-20 minutes. Participation is voluntary and all data is anonymous and confidential. It includes questions about sleep quality, the use of social media, loneliness, impulsiveness and other key aspects for understanding respondents' emotional well-being.

The PROSIA project grows and becomes more specialised

In order to continue researching suicidal behaviour in young people, two new projects led by Dr Vila, which share the objectives of PROSIA-Y, have been launched: PROSIA-U, aimed at the university population, and PROSIA-B, aimed at young people in Barcelona.

PROSIA-U was launched in July 2024, and the universities of Vic, Barcelona, ​​Lleida, Tarragona, Cadiz and Malaga are taking part. It has been funded through the call for grants for projects to promote and improve emotional well-being and mental health in the Catalan university and research system (BENES-2023). This project allows us to delve deeper into the factors that influence suicide at university, a critical environment for young people's personal and emotional development.

PROSIA-B, launched this year, has been funded by Barcelona City Council via its 2024 call for young and emerging research projects. In addition to understanding how urban factors, such as social pressure and access to services, can influence the emotional well-being of young people living in large cities, it also identifies specific risk areas, such as neighbourhoods or districts with higher levels of vulnerability. This knowledge will allow resources and intervention to be better targeted to ensure more effective support for young people.