Impact of global public health days on online health‑information‑seeking behavior related to substance use: An analysis of five‑year data

The United Nations Organizations observe various global public health days (GPHDs) (also known as world days) throughout the year. We aimed to assess the impact of GPSDs on online health information-seeking behavior related to substance use in the Indian context. We used the Google Trends data for this study using standard guidelines. We conducted a […]

Werther or Papageno? Examining the effects of news reports of celebrity suicide versus non-celebrity peer suicide on intentions to seek help among vulnerable young adults

Introduction A large body of literature has examined the Werther effect following news reports of suicide, yet much less attention has been paid to the protective Papageno effect. This research explored the causal relationships between news reports of real celebrity suicides (e.g., pop-rock star Chester Bennington) and real non-celebrity “peer” suicides (e.g., college student Madison […]

A guide for schools on student-directed suicide prevention programs eligible for implementation under the STANDUP Act, a rapid review and evidence synthesis

This review evaluates the strength of evidence for school-based mental health and suicide prevention programs that meet the legal eligibility criteria of the Suicide Training and Awareness Nationally Delivered for Universal Prevention Act of 2021 (STANDUP Act). Included studies were aggregated by program and a program’s overall body of evidence was evaluated using the LEGEND […]

Self-care and wellness checks in emergency field hospitals during COVID-19 pandemic: A new self-check tool for military personnel and civilians

The authors explore the impact of cumulative stress on United States (US) military service members (SM), including soldiers and medical personnel, deployed to serve in New York City (NYC) communities. Their mission was to assist in establishing emergency field hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Causative biopsychosocial factors are presented, as well as the impact of […]

Help-seeking intentions in the U.S. population during the COVID-19 pandemic: Examining the role of COVID-19 financial hardship, suicide risk, and stigma

The primary goal of this study was to increase understanding of help-seeking intentions in the U.S. population during the COVID-19 pandemic and to examine influencing factors such as COVID-19 financial hardship, suicide risk, and stigma in order to contribute to effective theory-based help-seeking and suicide prevention campaigns. In a representative sample of U.S. adults (N = 5,010), […]

Systematic review of arts-based interventions to address suicide prevention and survivorship in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America

Study Objective. Suicide is a serious health problem that is shaped by a variety of social and mental health factors. A growing body of research connects the arts to positive health outcomes; however, no previous systematic reviews have examined the use of the arts in suicide prevention and survivorship. This review examined how the arts […]

A step back from the edge: Empirical modeling of the role of social integration on suicide and associated deleterious health outcomes across adolescents from six middle-income countries

Purpose: There is economic importance to stimulating awareness about preventing adolescent suicide and other associated deleterious mental and behavioral health outcomes, especially the long-term costs from lost productivity. However, the presence of stigma and poor healthcare reporting systems which often prevent data access have frequently limited research into these topics in low-and-middle income (LMICs) countries. The […]

Guidelines on mental health promotive and preventive interventions for adolescents: Helping adolescents thrive

The Guidelines on promotive and preventive mental health interventions for adolescents – Helping Adolescents thrive (HAT), provide evidence-informed recommendations on psychosocial interventions to promote mental health, prevent mental disorders, and reduce self-harm and other risk behaviours among adolescents. The HAT Guidelines  aims to inform policy development, service planning and the strengthening of health and education systems, and facilitate […]

Indigenous youth peer-led health promotion in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the United States: A systematic review of the approaches, study designs, and effectiveness

Background: Youth peer-led interventions have become a popular way of sharing health information with young people and appear well suited to Indigenous community contexts. However, no systematic reviews focusing on Indigenous youth have been published. We conducted a systematic review to understand the range and characteristics of Indigenous youth-led health promotion projects implemented and their effectiveness. […]

Evaluating the effectiveness of a website about masculinity and suicide to prompt help-seeking

Issue addressed A website was designed to form the core of a multimedia strategy surrounding the Man Up documentary – a three‐part documentary that aimed to address the problem of male suicide in Australia. Together these formed a media‐based, public health intervention that explored the link between masculinity and suicide and promoted help‐seeking. This is of great […]

Healthcare contact and suicide risk documentation prior to suicide deaths: Results from the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS)

Objective—Prior research has shown that a substantial portion of suicide decedents access healthcare in the weeks and months before their death. We examined whether this is true amongsoldiers. Method—The sample included the 569 Regular Army soldiers in the U.S. Army who died by suicide on active duty between 2004–2009 compared to 5,690 matched controls. Analyses examined […]

Perpetuating the utopia of health behaviourism: A case study of the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation’s Don’t Change Much initiative

The Canadian Men’s Health Foundation (CMHF) receives significant funding and media attention for its Don’t Change Much initiative, which claims freely chosen small behavioural changes will improve men’s health across Canada. The enthusiastic support for the CMHF’s individual lifestyle interventions that take no account of the structural drivers of men’s health and health inequalities is considered through […]

Narrative review of affinities and differences between the social determinants of oral and general health in Canada: Establishing a common agenda

BACKGROUND: This article overviews Canadian work on the social determinants of oral and general health noting their affinities and differences. METHODS: A literature search identified Canadian journal articles addressing the social determinants of oral health and/or oral health inequalities. Analysis identified affinities and differences with six themes in the general social determinants of health literature. […]

Understanding the promotion of health equity at the local level requires far more than quantitative analyses of yes-no survey data

Health promotion is a complex activity that requires analytic methods that recognize the contested nature of it definition, the barriers and supports for such activities, and its embeddedness within the politics of distribution. In this commentary I critique a recent study of municipalities’ implementation of the Norwegian Public Health Act that employed analysis of “yes” or […]

Intersectionality, the welfare state and women’s health

This article applies intersectionality analysis to consider women’s health and well-being in Canada’s welfare state with attention to those occupying vulnerable social locations. Political and economic structures and processes associated with different forms of the welfare state are responsible for producing these vulnerabilities as they differentially distribute economic and social resources among the population. Inequities in […]

Confidence and attitudes of pharmacy students towards suicidal crisis: Patient simulation using people with a lived experience

PURPOSE: Health care professionals, including pharmacists, have the potential to recognise and assist those at risk of suicide. The primary aim of this study was to assess the impact of utilising people with a lived experience of mental illness as simulated patients on final year pharmacy students’ attitudes toward and confidence in caring for people […]

Multi-site programming offered to promote resilience in military veterans: A process evaluation of the Just Roll With It bootcamps

Background and Purpose: Military and veteran suicide rates exceed those found in the general population. Veterans often reject patient identities, creating barriers to care for mental health within the clinical sector and a mandate for prevention programs. The purpose of this study was to offer a post-intervention process evaluation of one peer-led resilience program offered […]

Addressing the cultural challenges of firearm restriction in suicide prevention: A test of public health messaging to protect those at risk

Objectives. Reducing access to firearms as a suicide prevention strategy is limited in the US today because of divergent cultural attitudes and political contentiousness surrounding gun restrictions. This research examined the effects of culturally-specific suicide prevention messages on the likelihood of restricting firearm access during periods of suicide risk. Methods. Focus groups and key informant interviews were […]

Effect of provincial spending on social services and health care on health outcomes in Canada: An observational longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Escalating health care spending is a concern in Western countries, given the lack of evidence of a direct connection between spending and improvements in health. We aimed to determine the association between spending on health care and social programs and health outcomes in Canada. METHODS: We used retrospective data from Canadian provincial expenditure reports, for the […]

Measuring progress and projecting attainment on the basis of past trends of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals in 188 countries: An analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016.

The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are grounded in the global ambition of “leaving no one behind”. Understanding today’s gains and gaps for the health-related SDGs is essential for decision makers as they aim to improve the health of populations. As part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD […]

Facilitating action for suicide prevention by learning health care systems.

The Mental Health Research Network (MHRN), funded by the National Institute of Mental Health to serve as a national laboratory to improve mental health care, includes researchers embedded in 13 health systems in 15 states. This column describes practice changes and effectiveness and exploratory research undertaken by MHRN partners when they found a sustained elevated […]

Suicide prevention: an emerging priority for health care.

Suicide is a significant public health problem. It is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, and the rate has risen in recent years. Many suicide deaths are among people recently seen or currently under care in clinical settings, but suicide prevention has not been a core priority in health care. In […]

An organisational response to an increase in suicides: a case study.

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