JOURNAL OF AMERICAN COLLEGE HEALTH
2018, VOL. 66, NO. 5, 401–411
https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2018.1432626
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Evaluation of an avatar-based training program to promote suicide prevention
awareness in a college setting
Benjamin A. Rein , B.S., Daniel W. McNeil , Ph.D., Allison R. Hayes
H. Mei Ng , Ph.D., and Catherine A. Yura , Ed.D.
, B.A., T. Anne Hawkins
, Ph.D.,
Department of Psychology and Carruth Center for Psychological and Psychiatric Services, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
ABSTRACT
ARTICLE HISTORY
Objective: Training programs exist that prepare college students, faculty, and staff to identify and
support students potentially at risk for suicide. Kognito is an online program that trains users
through simulated interactions with virtual humans. This study evaluated Kognito’s effectiveness in
preparing users to intervene with at-risk students. Participants: Training was completed by 2,727
university students, faculty, and staff from April, 2014 through September, 2015. Methods:
Voluntary and mandatory participants at a land-grant university completed Kognito modules
designed for higher education, along with pre- and post-assessments. Results: All modules
produced signi?cant gains in reported Preparedness, Likelihood, and Self-Ef?cacy in intervening
with troubled students. Despite initial disparities in reported abilities, after training participants
reported being similarly capable of assisting at-risk students, including LGBTQ and veteran students.
Conclusions: Kognito training appears to be effective, on a large scale, in educating users to act in a
facilitative role for at-risk college students.
Received 18 August 2017
Accepted 21 January 2018
Suicide is a pervasive global issue, accounting for hundreds
of thousands of deaths each year.1 In the last decade, rates
of suicide deaths in the USA have shown a consistent
increasing trend across age groups.2–5 Rates for American
adolescents and young adults unfortunately re?ect the rising trend in the general population. Suicide is the second
leading cause of death in Americans aged 15–24, accounting for 5,491 deaths in this age group in 2015 alone; this
number represents a 32.6% increase since 2007.2,5 These
trends persist even when adjusted for potential increases in
population; between 2000 and 2015, suicide rates in the
USA rose from 10.40 deaths per 100,000 to 13.75 per
100,000, making suicide the 10th leading cause of death in
the USA in 2015.6,7 Internationally, adolescent suicide rates
show similar upsurges over the past several decades. A
meta-analysis of data collected from 26 countries between
1965 and 1999 revealed steadily increasing suicide rates in
adolescents aged 15–19.8 These escalating rates have generated an increased demand for effective suicide prevention
strategies in the USA and abroad.