A scoping review of multi-component suicide and self-harm prevention programs for young people in Australia

Objective: This scoping review aimed to describe current multi-component services and programs with the primary purpose of preventing suicide and self-harming behaviours amongst adolescents and young adults aged 12 to 25 years in Australia and summarize evaluations of these initiatives. Method: A systematic search of Embase, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, and grey literature was conducted to identify relevant publications from 2014 to 2024. Data on identified services and programs was then analysed using a narrative synthesis approach. A quality assessment of evidence was also employed. Results: The review included six journal articles and six grey literature reports, detailing five different multi-component services and programs. Findings indicated relatively few existing multi-component strategies, with most targeting suicide or suicide and self-harm prevention. No identified multi-component programs focused solely on preventing self-harm. Three programs were delivered in community-based settings, one was web-based, and one was school-based. Common program components included psychoeducational materials/interventions, peer-to-peer support, and professional support/counselling. There was significant variation in how initiatives were evaluated. Conclusions: The review suggests that there are few multi-component strategies for preventing suicide and self-harm among young Australians. Most of those identified were only introduced within the last six years, leaving little opportunity for comprehensive, long-term evaluations. While available evidence indicates promising results, the scarcity of completed evaluations limits understanding of their overall effectiveness. The absence of multi-component programs specifically addressing self-harm highlights a key gap, emphasising the need for targeted, evidence-based prevention strategies that distinguish between self-harm with suicidal intent and non-suicidal self-harm.