Citation

Mitchell SM, Taylor NJ, Jahn DR, Roush JF, Brown SL, Ries R, Quinnett P. Crisis 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

The QPR Institute, Inc., Spokane, WA, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, International Association for Suicide Prevention, Publisher Hogrefe Publishing)

DOI

10.1027/0227-5910/a000647

PMID

31918586

Abstract

Background: Mental health care providers commonly encounter suicide ideation and suicidal behaviors among their patients despite a frequent lack of adequate knowledge and competence regarding suicide risk management. Aims: This study examined the associations among self-perceived sufficiency of training, self-efficacy, anxiety, and attitudes related to working with suicidal individuals. Method: Participants were 289 mental health care providers who completed a self-report survey. Results: Path analysis results indicated that perceived sufficiency of training was indirectly associated with negative attitudes (i.e., avoidance and discomfort) and cognitive and somatic anxiety about working with suicidal individuals through assessment self-efficacy. Limitations: The current study utilized cross-sectional data, and there were occupational heterogeneity and geographical homogeneity among the mental health care providers sampled. Conclusion: These findings suggest that sufficient suicide-related training focused on risk assessment may decrease mental health professionals' negative and anxious reactions toward suicidal individuals and enhance confidence in suicide risk management.

Keywords: suicide, self-efficacy, training, risk assessment

Language: en

Keywords

risk assessment; self-efficacy; suicide; training