Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Katherine Baumgartner

Abstract

Adolescent suicide is a serious problem. Worldwide suicide is the tenth leading cause of death for all people (World Health Organization, 2002) and in the United States suicide is the third leading cause of death for teenagers (Centers for Disease Control, 2010). Minnesota, however, fares worse than the rest of the country, where suicide is the second leading cause of death for those 15 to 34 years of age (Minnesota Department of Health,2009). Suicide does not discriminate as it happens to people of wealth, those who live in poverty, people of all ethnic backgrounds, people from all walks of life and professions and those who live in rural communities and large urban cities. A suicide has a rippling effect, impacting not only the youth whose life and future has been lost forever, but also family, friends and community at large. This project aims to connect communities for the greater good. A community model was developed with a focus on shared experiences and language, respect and mutuality and understanding to bring families and community members together to save lives and prevent suicide. Margaret Newman's (1994) theory of Health as Expanding Consciousness is applied to the role of the nurse in connecting communities around the public health issue of teenage suicide. According to Newman (2005) the theory of expanding consciousness includes the health of all people, regardless of the presence or absence of disease. Her theory asserts that every person is part of the universal process of expanding consciousness

Identifier

SC 11.DNP.2013.Benz.JM

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