Ready to Prevent? An Analysis of the Approach to Suicide in the Curricula of Nursing Degree Programs in Spain

ABSTRACT

Aim

To analyse how suicide education is integrated into the curricula of nursing degree programmes in Spain.

Design

A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted.

Methods

A review of 123 nursing curricula and a questionnaire. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS, applying a non-parametric statistical test to assess the presence and depth of suicide education in nursing programmes.

Results

Suicide was typically included in a single module, usually titled Mental Health Nursing, taught in the third year (69%). Overall, 76.42% of programmes included suicide content, dedicating an average of 3.59 h. Teaching was mainly expository, while 27.4% applied active methodologies and 23.3% combined both. Programmes using active methods tended to allocate more hours.

Conclusion

The study highlights the need to enhance suicide prevention training in nursing education, both in content and methodology, to better equip future nurses for this critical healthcare challenge.

Impact

This study reveals significant gaps in Spanish nursing programmes, encouraging improvements in curriculum design to better prepare nurses for real-world mental health challenges.

Public or Patient Contribution

Although patients were not directly involved, the research is driven by the goal of enhancing care for individuals at risk of suicide by strengthening nurses' preparedness and response capabilities.