1. New York State Dissemination Project
Peter A. Wyman, PhD
Emily Judd, BS
Lacy Morgan-DeVelder, MS, MFT
School & Community Prevention Program
University of Rochester
Dept. of Psychiatry, School of Medicine

2. Office of Mental Health (NY-OMH)
Overview
Why Sources of Strength?
How it works
School and Community Roles
Support
NY State Senate
Office of Mental Health (NY-OMH)

3. Sources of Strength ✔
Upstream Prevention
Intervention
Postvention

4. What FACTOR is most influential in whether a teen uses safe sex practices?

5. Beliefs about what his/her friends do!
What FACTOR is most influential in determining whether a teen uses safe sex practices?
Beliefs about what his/her friends do!
(Bruckner, 2005)

6. A High School’s Social Network Involved and Connected Students
Cheerleaders
Drama Group
A High School’s
Social Network
Disconnnected from School
w/ Typical Friendship Groups

7. Sources of Strength Modules
“What activities & people help keep you strong, get through hard times, make good decisions?”

8. Albany

9. Sources of Strength Modules
“Who Can Share an Example of…[strength]?”
Students teaching each other about positive coping

10. Sources of Strength Modules
Big Three Emotions:
Anger
Anxiety/Worry
Depression/Withdrawal
Signals to get help, examine Sources of Strength
**What is strong now?
**Which 1-2 would you want to strengthen?

11. Sources of Strength Modules
VALUES DEBATE
“If you had a friend drunk at a party and she said she’d be better off not being alive, would you get an adult involved?”

12. Sources of Strength Modules
CIRCLE: NAMING TRUSTED ADULTS
“Can you name an adult at school and at home you could go to if you were concerned about someone being suicidal”
Norm creating

13. Sources of Strength Objectives
Spread Healthy Coping
Strengthen Youth-Adult Connections
Increase Help-Seeking & Receiving
-We are harnessing the power of peer relationships 13

14. Peer Leader Prevention Modalities

15. Health Diffusion Model
Network
Health Diffusion Model
Peer Leader Selection
Peer Leader Training & Development
Diffusion
to Population

16. Evidence-Impact of Sources of Strength
Randomized Controlled Trial (NIMH, SAMHSA funding)
18 Schools; 465 Peer Leaders; 2,700 students [1 Semester]
Wyman et al (2010) American Journal of Public Health
Peer Leaders
Increased healthy coping attitudes/norms (ES )
More connections to adults (M +1 connection)
4X more likely to refer peer to adults
Largest gains for least connected, healthy peer leaders
School Population
Increased help-seeking acceptability (ES .58)
Increased perception that adults help suicidal peers (ES .63)
Largest gains for suicidal students

17. 3) Stages and Roles Administrative and Faculty Support
Adult Advisor Recruitment (3-6)
Peer Leader Nomination & Invitation (w/ parent permission)
Peer Leader & Adult Advisor Training (Certified Trainer)
Biweekly meetings & school-wide prevention activities
Evaluation 17