Citation

Matthieu MM, Hensley MA. Ment. Health Subst. Use 2013; 6(4): 274-286.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/17523281.2012.744342

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

There is a heightened risk for suicide among individuals currently in addiction treatments or who have a prior history of substance abuse. However, few professional and paraprofessional staff working in substance abuse treatment programs have been previously trained on how to intervene or to manage individuals who may also be experiencing a suicidal crisis. The aim of this pilot study is to examine the impact of an educational intervention for suicide prevention on the training outcomes of perceived self-efficacy and declarative knowledge of substance abuse professionals and staff. Fifty employees of a multi-site substance abuse treatment facility who attended suicide prevention training were surveyed upon completion of the training. Measures attained information for an educational needs assessment and on post-training outcomes. Eighty-eight percent of the staff had previous exposure to an individual at high risk for suicide. Significant training-related gains in perceived self-efficacy were demonstrated immediately after training (M = 2.73; SD = 0.74) than before (M = 1.83; SD = 0.79) (t = 8.28, p < 0.001). Nearly 90% of the staff wanted more training on suicide assessments. Gatekeeper training, integrated into on-the-job employee education, holds promise for increasing the capability of staff to intervene and to prevent suicide among clients with substance abuse disorders. © 2013 This work was authored as part of the Contributor's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.

Language: en

Keywords

adult; human; suicide; Suicide; female; male; aged; pilot study; motivational interviewing; suicide attempt; suicidal behavior; risk assessment; crisis intervention; gatekeeper training; Substance abuse; substance abuse; article; controlled study; normal human; continuing education; high risk population; priority journal; self concept; health survey; in service training; staff training; social worker; patient counseling; needs assessment; attitude to mental illness; clinical evaluation; work experience; Gatekeeper; Inservice training; Needs assessment; outcome of education