TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2016//
TI  - Effectiveness of depression-suicidal behaviour gatekeeper training among police officers in three European regions: outcomes of the Optimising Suicide Prevention Programmes and Their Implementation in Europe (OSPI-Europe) study
JO  - International journal of social psychiatry
A1  - Arensman, Ella
A1  - Coffey, Claire
A1  - Griffin, Eve
A1  - Van Audenhove, Chantal
A1  - Scheerder, Gert
A1  - Gusmäo, Ricardo
A1  - Costa, Susana
A1  - Larkin, Celine
A1  - Koburger, Nicole
A1  - Maxwell, Margaret
A1  - Harris, Fiona
A1  - Postuvan, Vita
A1  - Hegerl, Ulrich
SP  - 651
EP  - 660
VL  - 62
IS  - 7
N2  - BACKGROUND: Gatekeeper training for community facilitators, to identify and respond to those at risk of suicide, forms an important part of multi-level community-based suicide prevention programmes. AIMS: This study examined the effects of gatekeeper training on attitudes, knowledge and confidence of police officers in dealing with persons at risk of suicide. <br><br>METHODS: A total of 828 police officers across three European regions participated in a 4-hour training programme which addressed the epidemiology of depression and suicidal behaviour, symptoms of depression, warning signs and risk factors associated with suicidal behaviour, motivating help-seeking behaviour, dealing with acute suicidal crisis and informing bereaved relatives. Participants completed internationally validated questionnaires assessing stigmatising attitudes, knowledge about depression and confidence in dealing with suicidal persons pre- and post-training. <br><br>RESULTS: There were significant differences among countries in terms of previous exposure to suicidal persons and extent of previous training. Post-training evaluation demonstrated significant improvements in stigmatising attitudes, knowledge and confidence in all three countries. <br><br>CONCLUSION: The consistently positive effects of gatekeeper training of police officers across different regions support inclusion of this type of training as a fundamental part of multi-level community-based suicide prevention programmes and roll-out, nationally and internationally.<br><br>© The Author(s) 2016.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0020-7640
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0020764016668907
ID  - ref1
ER  -