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Changes in Gatekeeper Beliefs Following ASIST and Relation to Subsequent Gatekeeper Suicide Prevention Behaviors

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Abstract

This study examines relations between suicide prevention gatekeeper beliefs and actual helping behaviors following participation in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST). Participants (n = 434) completed measures examining suicide-related beliefs and behaviors using a naturalistic pre-post design. All beliefs demonstrated significant change from pre- to posttest. Regression analyses indicate that beliefs about perceived barriers to action and the controllability of suicide predicted identification of high-risk youth; perceived barriers to action were also negatively related to helping responses and referrals 6–9 months post training. Self-efficacy was not related to suicide prevention behaviors at follow-up. The importance of anchoring training curriculums and measurement to health behavior change theories is discussed.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration under Grant <5U79SM059190> .

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, 4250 Plymouth Rd, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105, USA

    Christina S. Magness, Karlin Stern, Amanda Burnside, Devyn Masterson, Seth Finkelstein, Anne Kramer & Cynthia J. Ewell Foster

  2. Injury & Violence Prevention Section, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, PO Box 30195, Lansing, MI, 48909, USA

    Patricia K. Smith

Authors
  1. Christina S. Magness
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  2. Karlin Stern
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  3. Amanda Burnside
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  4. Devyn Masterson
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  5. Seth Finkelstein
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  6. Anne Kramer
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  7. Patricia K. Smith
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  8. Cynthia J. Ewell Foster
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Contributions

PS and CEF contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by AB and CM. The first draft of the manuscript was written by CM, KS, DM, SF, and CEF. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Christina S. Magness.

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Conflicts of interest

All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Michigan (Ethics approval number: HUM0035883).

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Magness, C.S., Stern, K., Burnside, A. et al. Changes in Gatekeeper Beliefs Following ASIST and Relation to Subsequent Gatekeeper Suicide Prevention Behaviors. Community Ment Health J 59, 1013–1020 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-022-01084-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-022-01084-9

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