Date of Conferral

2-24-2025

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Mark Wells

Abstract

Mental health conditions among adolescents are rising across the nation. This project consisted of an educational intervention implemented at a 137-bed safety net hospital that is expanding psychiatric services for adolescents, and numerous personnel at the organization reported having limited knowledge and experience working with this population. The project aimed to reduce the knowledge gap by accentuating the signs and symptoms of adolescents with anxiety, depression, suicidal, and self-injurious behaviors. The practice question that was developed to address this problem was as follows: Does implementing an educational intervention focused on adolescent anxiety, depression and recognizing suicidal and self-injurious behaviors enhance knowledge among intake staff in the behavioral health department at a 137-bed safety net hospital in an underserved community? Participants completed a pre- and post-intervention self-developed survey, and the results were compared to determine the project’s efficacy; data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings indicated that 90% of the participants developed increased knowledge postintervention, with 10% showing no change, and 100% reported having increased confidence in their ability to identify when adolescents are combatting anxiety, depression, suicidal, and self-injurious behaviors. The implications of these findings suggest that educational interventions are efficient strategies that enhance knowledge and confidence. The evidence from this project indicates the need for ongoing education on this topic to ensure the workforce is equipped to provide safe, high-quality care to this adolescent patient population.

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