An evaluation of suicide prevention education for people working with refugees and asylum seekers: improvements in competence, attitudes, and confidence
Date
2022
Authors
Procter, N.
Posselt, M.
Ferguson, M.
McIntyre, H.
Kenny, M.A.
Curtis, R.
Loughhead, M.
Clement, N.
Mau, V.
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Journal article
Citation
Crisis, 2022; 43(3):205-213
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Abstract
Background: There are concerning rates of suicidality among asylum seekers and refugees in Australia, and tailored suicide prevention initiatives are needed. Aims: We aimed to evaluate the impact of a tailored suicide prevention education program for people working with asylum seekers and refugees. Method: Attendees of the education program completed self-report questionnaires at pretraining, posttraining, and 4–6 months follow-up. Results: Over 400 workers, volunteers, and students across Australia took part in the education program. A series of linear mixed-effects models revealed significant improvements in outcome measures from pretraining (n = 247) to posttraining (n = 231). Improvements were maintained at follow-up (n = 75). Limitations: Limitations of this research were the lack of a control group and a low follow-up response rate. Conclusion: Findings suggest that a 2 days tailored suicide prevention education program contributes to significant improvements in workers’ attitudes toward suicide prevention, and their confidence and competence in assessing and responding to suicidal distress.
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Copyright 2021 The Author(s). Distributed as a Hogrefe Open Mind article under the license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0)
Access Condition Notes: Accepted manuscript available on open access