Citation

Matthieu MM, Chen Y, Schohn M, Lantinga LJ, Knox KL. Mil. Med. 2009; 174(11): 1123-1131.

Affiliation

Washington University in St. Louis, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Center for Mental Health Services Research, One Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1196, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Association of Military Surgeons of the United States)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

19960817

Abstract

This study identifies training outcomes and educational preferences of employees who work within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Using a longitudinal pre- postsurvey design, 71 employees from one geographic region of VHA healthcare facilities participated in an evaluation of a brief standardized gatekeeper program and a needs assessment on training preferences for suicide and suicide prevention. Results indicate significant differences in knowledge and self-efficacy from pre to post (p < 0.001), although only self-efficacy remained significant at 1 year follow-up, (M = 3.01; SD = 0.87) as compared to pretraining (M = 2.50, SD = 1.05) (t = -5.64, p < 0.001). At post-training, 90% of the participants were willing to learn more about suicide, with 88% willing to spend more than 1 hour in future training activities on more advanced topics. This training program can increase the knowledge and abilities of VHA staff to engage, identify, and refer veterans at risk for suicide to appropriate care.

Language: en