Outcomes of a Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training Program Among School Personnel.
BACKGROUND
Gatekeeper suicide prevention programs train staff to increase the identification and referral of suicidal individuals to the appropriate resources.


AIMS
We evaluated Act on FACTS: Making Educators Partners in Youth Suicide Prevention (MEP), which is an online training program designed to enhance the knowledge of suicide risk factors and warning signs as well as improve participants' attitudes and self-efficacy/confidence.


METHOD
School personnel (N = 700) completed a survey administered before and immediately after the training to assess gains in training outcomes and to evaluate participants' satisfaction with the training.


RESULTS
Results indicated that MEP participants demonstrated significant increases in suicide knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy. Moreover, exploratory analyses revealed moderating effects of professional role on pre-/posttest changes in self-efficacy, but not suicide knowledge or attitudes. Specifically, guidance counselors demonstrated significantly smaller increases in self-efficacy/confidence compared with teachers and classroom aids, whereas teachers demonstrated significantly larger increases in self-efficacy/confidence compared with administrators. The majority of school personnel who completed the MEP program were satisfied with the training content and experience.


CONCLUSION
Although the current findings are promising, more rigorous evaluations employing randomized controlled research designs are warranted to adequately determine the effectiveness of the MEP program.
['Lamis|Dorian A|DA|', 'Underwood|Maureen|M|', "D'Amore|Nicole|N|"]
D000293:Adolescent D000328:Adult D000368:Aged D004521:Educational Measurement D005260:Female D006801:Humans D008297:Male D008605:Mental Health Services D008875:Middle Aged D015397:Program Evaluation D012017:Referral and Consultation D018570:Risk Assessment D000070777:School Teachers D013192:Staff Development D013405:Suicide D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires D000070260:Teacher Training D055815:Young Adult
suicide prevention gatekeeper training school personnel youth