Enhancing Clergy Suicide Prevention and Referral

说明（由申请人提供）：自杀是25-34岁人群死亡的第二大原因，是10-14岁和15-24岁人群死亡的第三大原因，是男性死亡的第八大原因。在国家公共卫生战略文件中，宗教领袖和神职人员被确定为预防自杀的重要一线看门人。印第安纳州预防暴力伤害和死亡伙伴关系（IPPVID）的初步研究表明，神职人员对预防自杀的培训材料有浓厚的兴趣。然而，迄今为止，尚无以证据为基础的培训材料，以促进宗教领袖采取与自杀有关的减少和减轻风险行为。该项目的目标是通过开发和验证基于证据和理论驱动的培训材料来满足这一需求，以提高信仰领袖的自杀意识和自杀预防技能。在这两个阶段，将采用多管齐下的方法来编制宗教领袖预防自杀课程的内容：这项工作将(1)利用我们的研究合作伙伴（IPPVID）开发的试点课程，(2)利用新兴的针对精神健康专业人员和普通受众的自杀预防培训项目，这些项目可以根据信仰领袖的具体实践和社会文化需求进行定制，(3)让利益相关者和主题专家参与课程大纲、课程和学习活动的阐述和验证。教育课程和活动的设计和发展将以建构主义教学理论、综合绩效支持模型和完善的教学设计过程为指导。第一阶段将通过对信仰领袖的需求、障碍和常见情况进行结构化的受众分析，以及对现有自杀培训课程的内容分析，提供整体课程设计文件。与神职人员的访谈（n=20）将引出影响目标行为参与的因素，并将收集对现有课程的反应；将对确定的信念进行调查（n=200），调查结果将驱动媒体的动机和其他元素。IPPVID试点试验的内容将通过上述多管齐下的方法进一步完善。然后，第一阶段将开发基于网络的交互式课程和活动原型，主要侧重于意识和风险识别。由此产生的课程和活动将在小规模随机对照试验（n=60）中进行评估。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in persons aged 25-34, the 3rd leading cause of death among people in the age groups 10-14 and 15-24, and the 8th leading cause of male deaths. Faith leaders and clergy have been identified in national strategic public health documents as important front-line gatekeepers for suicide prevention. Preliminary research by the Indiana Partnership to Prevent Violent Injury and Death (IPPVID) has identified strong interest among clergy in training materials regarding suicide prevention. However, to date, no evidence-based training materials are available to facilitate adoption of suicide-related risk reduction and mitigation behaviors among faith leaders. The goal of this project is to fill this need by developing and validating evidence-based and theory-driven training materials to increase suicide awareness and suicide prevention skills among faith leaders. Across both phases, a multipronged approach will be used to generate the content of the faith leaders' suicide prevention curriculum: the effort will (1) capitalize on a pilot curriculum developed by our research partner (IPPVID), (2) draw upon emerging suicide prevention training programs for mental health professionals and general audiences that can be tailored to the specific practical and sociocultural needs of faith leaders, and (3) involve stakeholders and subject-matter experts in the articulation and validation of the curriculum outlines, lessons, and learning activities. Design and development of educational lessons and activities will be guided by a constructivist pedagogical theory, an integrated performance support model, and a well- established instructional design process. Phase I will deliver an overall curriculum design document by conducting structured audience analysis regarding faith leaders' needs, barriers, and common situations as well as content analysis of existing suicide training curricula. Interviews (n=20) with clergy will elicit factors affecting engagement in the target behaviors and will gather reactions to existing curricula; a survey (n=200) of identified beliefs will be conducted, and the results of the survey will drive motivational and other elements of the media. Content from IPPVID pilot trials will be further refined through the multipronged approach described above. Phase I will then develop prototype web-based interactive lessons and activities focusing primarily on awareness and risk identification. The resulting lessons and activities will be evaluated in a small scale RCT (n=60). PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Suicide prevention is a vital public health concern. A large number of individuals use religious leaders as their first and often primary source of mental health support. Faith leaders have been identified as important points of leverage for addressing suicide through their ability to directly and immediately engage in identification, brief diffusion, and referral of individuals at risk. Yet faith leaders are often not adequately prepared for this role. There currently exist no evidence-based suicide prevention educational programs tailored for faith leaders' particular practical, organizational, and cultural workplace needs. This project will develop a suicide prevention professional development curriculum customized to the unique needs of faith leaders. The curriculum will draw upon existing evidence-based suicide training efforts and state-of-the-art pedagogical theory and technology. It will be deliverable as individualized instruction over the web as well as through facilitator led training. The proposed effort meets an important, recognized, need with an innovative, easily dessiminable, and customizable educational solution. As such, the resulting products should be well-received by faith leaders and their organizations as well as institutions which provide pre-professional and continuing education to them.