Training in acute and chronic suicide intervention: practitioner attitudes, perceived competence, and self-efficacy

• Main Author: Lian, Kay Xuan
• Other Authors: Ring Joyce Pang Shu Min
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2024
• Subjects: Social Sciences; Suicide intervention training; Practitioner attitudes; Practitioner perceived competence; Practitioner self-efficacy; Suicide risk type
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/177749
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Research has related suicide intervention training to variables of practitioner suicide attitudes and perceived competence and self-efficacy towards suicide intervention. Literature has made a distinction between different types of suicide risk (i.e., acute and chronic). This study addressed several research gaps regarding the effect of suicide intervention training and suicide risk type on these practitioner variables. The main research question asked: How does training in suicide intervention relate to practitioner suicide attitudes and perceived competence and self-efficacy in intervening with youths with acute and chronic suicide risks? A diverse group of Singapore practitioners (23.2% male, age range = 20 to 60 years) from various sectors responded to questions regarding suicide intervention training received. They responded to measures on their suicide attitudes and perceived competence and self-efficacy towards intervening with youths with suicide risk, separately for acute and chronic risks. This study utilised t-test and ANOVA analyses to investigate the relationships between suicide intervention training, suicide risk type, and these practitioner variables. Practitioners who received suicide intervention training during their career had greater perceived competence than practitioners who did not. Practitioners who received both in-house and certified suicide intervention trainings generally scored higher on practitioner variables than those who received only either type of training. There was weak evidence of an interaction effect between training type and suicide risk type. Limitations included methodological weakness, an unrepresentative sample, and experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic as a confounding factor. This study calls for a greater investment of resources towards such training for Singapore practitioners.