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Impact of Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Author(s) -
Gould Madelyn S.,
Cross Wendi,
Pisani Anthony R.,
Munfakh Jimmie Lou,
Kleinman Marjorie
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
suicide and life‐threatening behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.544
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1943-278X
pISSN - 0363-0234
DOI - 10.1111/sltb.12049
Subject(s) - hotline , psychological intervention , intervention (counseling) , medicine , suicide prevention , crisis intervention , poison control , psychology , clinical psychology , psychiatry , medical emergency , telecommunications , computer science
We examined the impact of the implementation of Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training ( ASIST ) across the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline's national network of crisis hotlines. Data were derived from 1,507 monitored calls from 1,410 suicidal individuals to 17 Lifeline centers in 2008–2009. Callers were significantly more likely to feel less depressed, less suicidal, less overwhelmed, and more hopeful by the end of calls handled by ASIST ‐trained counselors. Few significant changes in ASIST ‐trained counselors' interventions emerged; however, improvements in callers' outcomes were linked to ASIST ‐related counselor interventions, including exploring reasons for living and informal support contacts. ASIST training did not yield more comprehensive suicide risk assessments.