Effectiveness of the “Midlife Life-Saving Relationships School” Program for Suicide Prevention among Middle-Aged Adults

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Midlife Life-Saving Relationships School, a suicide prevention program developed by the Seoul Suicide Prevention Center for middle-aged adults. Using a pretest–posttest design, 81 participants completed four group sessions focused on relational recovery, communication, and crisis coping. Outcomes included helping efficacy, communication skills, loneliness/social isolation, midlife crisis, depression, and suicide attitudes, analyzed using Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Tests and Cohen’s d. Results showed significant improvements in helping efficacy (Δ = +0.50, p < .001, d = 0.50) and reductions in depression (Δ = −0.60, p < .05) and emotional instability (Δ = −0.15, p < .05). Suicide attitudes shifted toward prevention, with decreases in understanding and prohibitive attitudes (p < .05). Communication skills showed modest positive trends, while loneliness and social isolation did not change. Greater effects were observed among women and participants aged 40–50 years. The findings suggest that this group-based program can enhance relational capacities and stability in midlife adults.