# Suicide Clusters in Schools and Communities

> **NIH NIH R01** · TRUSTEES OF INDIANA UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $755,984

## Abstract

SUMMARY
The goal of this proposed project is to determine how social environments in schools and communities
generate – or ameliorate – vulnerability to youth suicide and suicide clusters (S/SC) through cultural,
organizational, and social-ecological pathways. In the context of rising rates of youth S/SC and diminishing
school resources, understanding schools as both a possible source of vulnerability and as a key place for
suicide pre- and postvention (SPP) is increasingly critical. Research suggests that the social environment
matters to youth S/SC; yet to date studies have neglected to examine how variation in schools’ cultural
systems and mental health safety systems, as well as their broader social-ecological contexts – including
access to resources and bridges between schools and healthcare – explain variation in S/SC between schools.
Further, research fails to consider how schools, as formal organizations, work on a daily basis to prevent
suicide while navigating competing responsibilities often under conditions of resource scarcity. Understanding
the root environmental causes of S/SC and identifying effective and sustainable strategies for schools SPP
requires addressing these gaps. The specific aims guiding the proposed project are (Aim 1) to identify
characteristics of schools’ cultural systems that facilitate youth well-being; (Aim 2) to determine the
organizational elements that enable schools to create mental health safety systems that effectively identify,
triage, and support vulnerable youth; and (Aim 3) to assess the components of broader social-ecological
systems that serve as barriers or enablers of schools’ strategies to support youth well-being and prevent S/SC.
To accomplish our aims, we employ a mixed-method, comparative research design and rely on an established
partnership with two Colorado public school districts and their 10 heterogeneous high schools (3 of which have
serious, enduring youth S/SC problems). We have unprecedented access to observe how schools work on a
daily basis to prevent suicide and support MH. Further, we integrate observational data with interviews and
surveys with members of the school – specifically, youth, parents, school-based police officers, and other
school staff – and broader communities – especially, healthcare workers, therapists, crisis responders, and
religious leaders – to identify challenges to and enablers of schools’ SPP strategies. This project is led by a
new investigator with a strong record of research on youth S/SC who is supported by an established
interdisciplinary team with extensive methodological and topic expertise. Preliminary fieldwork produced the
strong collaborative relationships – with the districts, schools, and community leaders as well as the members
of the youth, community, and academic advisory boards – necessary for the successful completion of the
project’s aims and for advancing scientific frameworks for developing and deploying sustainable, equitable,
and ef...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10279280
- **Project number:** 1R01MH127170-01
- **Recipient organization:** TRUSTEES OF INDIANA UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Anna Strassmann Mueller
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $755,984
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10279280

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10279280, Suicide Clusters in Schools and Communities (1R01MH127170-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10279280. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*