Effectiveness of Depression-Suicidal Behaviour Gatekeeper training among police officers in three European regions: outcomes of the Optimising Suicide Prevention Programmes and their Implementation in Europe (OSPI-Europe) study
Arensman, Ella; Coffey, Claire; Griffin, Eve; Van Audenhove, Chantal; Scheerder, Gert; Gusmão, Ricardo; Costa, Susana; Larkin, Celine; Koburger, Nicole; Maxwell, Margaret; Harris, Fiona M.; Postuvan, Vita; Hegerl, Ulrich
Date:
2016-09-19
Copyright:
© The Authors 2016
Citation:
Arensman, E., Coffey, C., Griffin, E., Van Audenhove, C., Scheerder, G., Gusmao, R., Costa, S., Larkin, C., Koburger, N., Maxwell, M., Harris, F., Postuvan, V., Hegerl, U., (2016) 'Effectiveness of Depression -Suicidal Behaviour Gatekeeper training among police officers in three European regions: outcomes of the Optimising Suicide Prevention Programmes and their Implementation in Europe (OSPI-Europe) study'. The International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 62(7), pp. 651-660. doi: 1177/0020764016668907
Abstract:
Background: Gatekeeper training for community facilitators, to identify and respond to those at risk of suicide, forms an important part of multi-level community-based suicide prevention programmes. Aims: This study examined the effects of gatekeeper training on attitudes, knowledge and confidence of police officers in dealing with persons at risk of suicide. Methods: A total of 828 police officers across three European regions participated in a 4-hour training programme which addressed the epidemiology of depression and suicidal behaviour, symptoms of depression, warning signs and risk factors associated with suicidal behaviour, motivating help-seeking behaviour, dealing with acute suicidal crisis and informing bereaved relatives. Participants completed internationally validated questionnaires assessing stigmatising attitudes, knowledge about depression and confidence in dealing with suicidal persons pre- and post-training. Results: There were significant differences among countries in terms of previous exposure to suicidal persons and extent of previous training. Post-training evaluation demonstrated significant improvements in stigmatising attitudes, knowledge and confidence in all three countries. Conclusion: The consistently positive effects of gatekeeper training of police officers across different regions support inclusion of this type of training as a fundamental part of multi-level community-based suicide prevention programmes and roll-out, nationally and internationally.
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