Attitudes Toward Suicide Prevention in Front-Line Health Staff

A questionnaire assessing attitudes toward suicide prevention was constructed & shown to have satisfactory reliability & internal consistency. The determinants & distribution of these attitudes were investigated in four groups of health professionals who are in contact with suicidal patients: general practitioners, accident & emergency nurses, psychiatrists in training, & community psychiatric nurses. Attitudes toward suicide prevention were shown to differ significantly between professional groups. More positive attitudes were associated with mental health professionals, working in the community, & previous training in suicide risk assessment. Negative attitudes should be assessed & targeted in training designed to improve the management of suicide risk. (9 refs.)