Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop a postvention manual for secondary schools in Korea in the event of a student suicide. Existing studies and manuals were reviewed to identify potential guidelines. A focus group interview was conducted with 12 school staff members to identify the schools' current needs. Consequently, a draft manual with 33 postvention factors and 306 behavioral guidelines was created. The Delphi method was used to evaluate the necessity and feasibility of the preliminary guidelines. The expert panel of 16 people evaluated whether the suggested guidelines should be included in the manual on a 5-point Likert scale. The statements deemed necessary by 80% of the experts were selected. Finally, a postvention manual with five phases, 33 elements, and 277 items was developed. This study attempted to ensure the validity of the guidelines by using a systematic process, and contributed to more comprehensive postvention activities by augmenting strategies to manage SNS use and to support school staff.