Open AccessAn Evaluation of Suicide Prevention Education for People Working With Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Author(s) -
Nicholas Procter,
Miriam Posselt,
Monika Ferguson,
Heather McIntyre,
Mary Anne Kenny,
Rachel Curtis,
Mark Loughhead,
Noel Clement,
Vicki Mau
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
crisis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.93
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 2151-2396
pISSN - 0227-5910
DOI - 10.1027/0227-5910/a000777
Subject(s) - refugee , competence (human resources) , suicide prevention , distress , poison control , medicine , psychology , injury prevention , occupational safety and health , clinical psychology , psychiatry , medical emergency , social psychology , political science , pathology , law
. 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.