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Advances in Responses of Community Members to Individuals at Risk...
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Advances in Responses of Community Members to Individuals at Risk of Suicide

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 November 2022) | Viewed by 4069

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Angela Nicholas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, Australia
Interests: suicide prevention and media; informal support; family and friends; gatekeeper behavior; suicide communications; suicide disclosure
Dr. Anthony Fulginiti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver, Denver, CO 80208, USA
Interests: suicide prevention; suicide disclosure; social networks/connectedness

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Much research has emphasized the importance of formal help-seeking to prevent suicide. The reactions of community members to someone who is experiencing distress can have a major influence on mental health outcomes as well as future formal and informal help-seeking. This explains the increase in suicide prevention programming that concentrates on training community members to intervene with peers in distress (e.g., gatekeeper training). Yet, training approaches may lead to unsatisfactory, unsustainable, and/or inequitable change in community members’ knowledge and behavior to support peers in distress. Innovative training approaches are certainly necessary to address these outstanding issues. Relatedly, the informal network of help-giving that exists in communities needs to be better understood because professional help-seeking may not be the best solution for everyone. This Special Issue is focused on generating new knowledge to identify:

(1) how people communicate about suicide;
(2) how people react to fellow community members experiencing emotional distress;
(3) personal (e.g., attitudes, knowledge), relationship (e.g., trust between dyads, social roles), community (e.g., norms), and environmental (e.g., access to care/services) factors that help shape suicidal communications and community members’ reactions;
(4) intervention/prevention programs that seek to change community members’ reactions.

The following published articles are examples that capture the intended spirit of the special issue, but these examples are not inclusive of all suitable substantive content. Please use the description of the special issue above to guide your decisions about submissions and reach out to us if you have any questions about the alignment of your work with the special issue.

  1. Rossetto, ; Jorm, A.F.; Reavley, N.J. Developing a model of help giving towards people with a mental health problem: a qualitative study of mental health first aid participants. Int. J. Ment. Health Syst. 2018, 12, 1–15.
  2. Muehlenkamp, J.; & Hagan, C.R. Factors predicting intent to intervene with a potentially suicidal peer. Arch. Suicide Res. 2020, 24, 483–497.
  3. Morton, ; Wang, S.; Tse, K.; Chung, C.; Bergmans, Y.; Ceniti, A.; Flam, S.; Johannes, R.; Schade, K.; Terah, F.; Rizvi, S. Gatekeeper training for friends and family of individuals at risk of suicide: A systematic review. J. Community Psychol. 2021, doi:10.1002/jcop.22624
  4. Ross, ; Caton, N.; Gullestrup, J.; & Kõlves, K. Understanding the barriers and pathways to male help-seeking and help-offering: a mixed methods study of the impact of the Mates in Construction Program. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 2979.
  5. Cruwys, ; An, S.; Chang, M.X.L.; Lee, H. Suicide literacy predicts the provision of more appropriate support to people experiencing psychological distress. Psychiatry Res. 2018, 264, 96–103.
  6. Aldrich, S. Using the theory of planned behavior to predict college students’ intention to intervene with a suicidal individual. Crisis 2015, 36, 332–337
  7. Arendt, ; Scherr, S.; Niederkrotenthaler, T.; Krallmann, S.; Till, B. Effects of awareness material on suicide-related knowledge and the intention to provide adequate help to suicidal individuals. Crisis 2018, 39, 47–54
  8. Player, J.; Proudfoot, J.; Fogarty, A.; Whittle, E.; Spurrier, M.; Shand, F.; Christensen, H.; Hadzi-Pavlovic, D.; Wilhelm, K. What interrupts suicide attempts in men: a qualitative study. PLoS One 2015, 10, e0128180.
  9. Nicholas, ; Pirkis, J.; Jorm, A.; Spittal, M.J.; Reavley, N. Helping actions given and received in response to suicide risk: Findings from an Australian nationally representative telephone survey. SSM Popul. Health 2019, 9, 100483, doi:10.1016/j.ssmph.2019.100483
  10. Frey, ; Fulginiti, A. Talking about suicide may not be enough: family reaction as a mediator between disclosure and interpersonal needs. J. Ment. Health 2017, 26, 1–7, 10.1080/09638237.2017.1340592.

Dr. Angela Nicholas
Dr. Anthony Fulginiti
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • help-giving
  • suicide
  • gatekeeper training
  • informal support
  • help-seeking

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 374 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Conversations about Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Mental Health First Aid Course: Effects on Knowledge, Stigmatising Attitudes, Confidence and Helping Behaviour
by Kathy S. Bond, Julia N. Lyons, Fairlie A. Cottrill, Amanda V. Sabo, Simone E. Baillie, Alyssia Rossetto, Louise Kelly, Claire M. Kelly, Nicola J. Reavley, Anthony F. Jorm and Amy J. Morgan
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3749; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043749 - 20 Feb 2023
Viewed by 2042
Abstract
Background: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a common mental health problem, with a 19% lifetime prevalence in Australian adolescents and 12% in adults. Though rates of professional help-seeking for NSSI are low, disclosure to family and friends is more common, providing opportunities for them [...] Read more.
Background: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a common mental health problem, with a 19% lifetime prevalence in Australian adolescents and 12% in adults. Though rates of professional help-seeking for NSSI are low, disclosure to family and friends is more common, providing opportunities for them to encourage professional support. Mental Health First Aid® Australia’s Conversations about Non-Suicidal Self-Injury course provides evidence-based training for the general public to support a person engaging in NSSI. Methods: This uncontrolled trial evaluated the effects of the Conversations about Non-Suicidal Self-Injury course on participants’ knowledge, confidence, stigmatising attitudes, and intended and actual helping behaviours. Surveys were administered pre- and post-course, and at a six-month follow-up. A linear mixed-model analysis determined mean change over time, and effect sizes were estimated using Cohen’s d. Course satisfaction was assessed using descriptive statistics and summative content analysis of qualitative data. Results: The pre-course survey was completed by 147 Australian participants (77.5% female, mean age 45.8 years), 137 (93.2%) at post-course and 72 (49%) at follow-up. Knowledge, confidence, quality of intended helping behaviours, and quality of actual helping behaviours increased significantly at both time points. Social distance decreased significantly at all time points and stigma decreased significantly at post-course. The course was perceived to be highly acceptable by participants. Conclusions: There is initial evidence that the Conversations about Non-Suicidal Self-Injury course is effective and acceptable for members of the public who may support a person engaging in NSSI. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Responses of Community Members to Individuals at Risk of Suicide)
17 pages, 629 KiB  
Article
Towards an Evidence-Based Model of Workplace Postvention
by Alison Clements, Angela Nicholas, Karen E Martin and Susan Young
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 142; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010142 - 22 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1395
Abstract
This instrumental case study explored what suicide postvention might offer workplaces using the example of a large metropolitan funeral company. A mixed methods approach was utilized to examine staff experiences with suicide bereavement funerals and responses to a bespoke postvention training package. Staff [...] Read more.
This instrumental case study explored what suicide postvention might offer workplaces using the example of a large metropolitan funeral company. A mixed methods approach was utilized to examine staff experiences with suicide bereavement funerals and responses to a bespoke postvention training package. Staff found funerals due to suicide difficult in terms of communication, engagement and emotionality. These challenges were commonly characterized by increased tension and concern. In the absence of a postvention informed approach, staff had developed individual ways to negotiate the identified challenges of this work. The introduction of a staff-informed postvention training package delivered improvements in staff confidence with communication, understanding and management of the impact of suicide bereavement, and increased willingness to share information about postvention services with families and mourners. The findings indicated that benefits of the training could be extended through organizational governance and integration of supports. The findings are used to inform a model of workplace postvention together with a methodology incorporating staff experience and organizational context. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Responses of Community Members to Individuals at Risk of Suicide)
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