Background: There is a rise in adolescent suicides which is now the third leading cause of death for adolescents in the United States is suicide (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Despite this serious health threat and public health crisis, there is a gap in screening adolescents for suicide risks. More specific questions about an adolescent's social connectedness (SC) must be asked. Social Connectedness (SC) is an individual's sense of belonging with themselves, others, and the world. Purpose/Specific Aims: The purpose of this project was to educate clinicians on SC and to increase clinicians' incorporation of SC when screening adolescents for suicidality. The overarching aim of this project is to better identify patients at risk for depression and suicide. Methods: This project involved an educational presentation provided to mental health clinicians. Differences in clinician attitudes, knowledge, and screening practices were assessed at baseline, immediately following the educational presentation, at the four week mid-point, and at the nine-week point, following the intervention. Differences in clinician incorporation of the Watts Connectedness Scale (WCS) in addition to their present screening tools were evaluated. Results: Additional use of the WCS with the PHQ-A model demonstrated better suicidality detection with at-risk adolescents (88%), suggesting the importance of including measures of SC when screening adolescents for depression and suicidality. Conclusion: The additional use of the WCS positively affected suicidality detection in the screened adolescents.
