%0 Journal Article
%T Gatekeeper training for suicide prevention in first nations community members: a randomized controlled trial
%J Depression and anxiety
%D 2013
%A Sareen, Jitender
%A Isaak, Corinne
%A Bolton, Shay-Lee
%A Enns, Murray W.
%A Elias, Brenda
%A Deane, Frank
%A Munro, Garry
%A Stein, Murray B.
%A Chateau, Dan
%A Gould, Madelyn
%A Katz, Laurence Y.
%V 30
%N 10
%P 1021-1029
%X BACKGROUND: Gatekeeper training aims to train people to recognize and identify those who are at risk for suicide and assist them in getting care. Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), a form of gatekeeper training, has been implemented around the world without a controlled evaluation. We hypothesized that participants in 2 days of ASIST gatekeeper training would have increased knowledge and preparedness to help people with suicidal ideation in comparison to participants who received a 2-day Resilience Retreat that did not focus on suicide awareness and intervention skills (control condition). METHODS: First Nations on reserve people in Northwestern Manitoba, aged 16 years and older, were recruited and randomized to two arms of the study. Self-reported measures were collected at three time points-immediately pre-, immediately post-, and 6 months post intervention. The primary outcome was the Suicide Intervention Response Inventory, a validated scale that assesses the capacity for individuals to intervene with suicidal behavior. Secondary outcomes included self-reported preparedness measures and gatekeeper behaviors. RESULTS: In comparison with the Resilience Retreat (n = 24), ASIST training (n = 31) was not associated with a significant impact on all outcomes of the study based on intention-to-treat analysis. There was a trend toward an increase in suicidal ideation among those who participated in the ASIST in comparison to those who were in the Resilience Retreat. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of efficacy of ASIST in a First Nations on-reserve sample is concerning in the context of widespread policies in Canada on the use of gatekeeper training in suicide prevention.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
%G en
%I John Wiley and Sons
%@ 1091-4269
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/da.22141