@article{ref1,
title="Effects of brief training on mental health provider's knowledge of working with youth at risk of suicide in Guatemala",
journal="International journal of social psychiatry",
year="2020",
author="Alonzo, Dana and Popescu, Marciana and Zubaroglu-Ioannides, Pinar",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Resources for mental healthcare are lacking in Guatemala, yet rates of  mental illness and suicide are quite high. Mental healthcare providers often lack  the knowledge needed to effectively work with young at-risk of suicide. To address  this gap, we developed a training program for mental health professionals focused on  increasing knowledge and understanding of engaging and working with youth at risk of  suicide and present its acceptability and preliminary effectiveness. <br><br>METHODS: Mental  health providers (N = 17) from a low SES community participated in the training,  Formacion CUIDAR (Comunidades Unidos para Individuales De Alto Riesgo; CARE  Training; Communities United for Individuals at High Risk). Mixed methods were used  to explore outcomes including, self-reported knowledge and understanding of warning  signs; risk and protective factors; effective risk assessment; and, techniques for  working with at-risk youth. <br><br>RESULTS: Findings indicate that the training was  effective at increasing all targeted domains of knowledge (t = 2.46, p < .05,  Cohen's d = .56). Acceptability was also rated as high. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Scarcity of  mental health specialists and lack of training on suicide assessment and management  have resulted in inadequate resources for at-risk youth in need of mental health  services in Guatemala. <br><br>RESULTS of our study demonstrate that our training is an  acceptable, effective program for practicing mental health providers to address  their lack of specialized training on how to work with individuals at risk of  suicide. Further examination of the training in a larger RCT is required to attain  more robust indictors of effectiveness and to assess long-term impact.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0020-7640",
doi="10.1177/0020764020983860",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0020764020983860"
}