Author Identifier (ORCID)
Bep Uink: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-2898-3267
Abstract
Background: Suicide was the leading cause of death among young Australians aged 15–24 years old in 2023, with 392 lives lost. The continued high numbers of youth suicide demand urgent exploration of alternative approaches to suicide intervention in this population. The United Kingdom-based suicide service Maytree offers an innovative short-term stay for people experiencing suicidal thoughts. Grounded by the Maytree model-of-care, the aim of the current study was to co-design a short-stay service responsive to the specific needs of suicidal young people. Methods: Semi-structured and focus group interviews with young people (n = 38), caregivers (n = 11) and key local stakeholders (n = 26) in Perth, Western Australia. Results: Deductive and inductive thematic analysis identified 8 core themes: benefits, service design, staffing, operations, referrals, challenges and safety, measures of success, and language. Endorsement of the Luminos model as beneficial to young people experiencing thoughts of suicide was nearly unanimous. Conclusions: These findings provide actionable insights for the development of alternative, youth-informed suicide support services.
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
9-1-2025
Volume
22
Issue
9
PubMed ID
41007592
Publication Title
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Publisher
MDPI
School
Kurongkurl Katitjin
RAS ID
88025
Funders
WA Mental Health Commission / Lotterywest / Perron Foundation / National Health and Medical Research Council
Grant Number
NHMRC Number : 2010063
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Hansen, A., Speirs, S., Panton, K., Freeman, J., Highfield, Z., Marshall, K., Tighe, E., Hemming, L., Uink, B., Mitrou, F., Vuong, V., & Lin, A. (2025). The Luminos project: Co-designing a short-stay suicide support model for young people. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(9), 1449. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22091449