Exploring the Relationship Between Staff Readiness and Confidence in Identifying Early Signs and Symptoms of Youth Depression and Suicidal Ideation

School personnel play an important role in identifying early signs of depression and suicide risk in students, yet staff vary in their confidence and competence to recognize these concerns. Measurement of staff readiness to identify signs and symptoms of mental health concerns is an emerging area of research, and this study examined how several dimensions of staff readiness on a pre-/post-staff suicide awareness and prevention training survey predicted recognition of depression and suicide warning signs among K–12 staff members. In this study, we analyzed pre- and post-training survey data from 6,212 staff participants in Erika’s Lighthouse’s suicide awareness and prevention program. The results of the multiple regression suggested that recognition of warning signs was predicted by six readiness indicators: trusted adult identity, attitudes about discussing mental health, conversational comfort, access to tools and resources, school connectedness, and perceived school care for staff well-being. The model explained a substantial portion of the variance in recognition of depression and suicide signs and symptoms (adjusted R ² = .432). These findings indicate that practical and interpersonal dimensions of readiness may be related to staff recognition of warning signs.