Opplæring av Røde Kors-frivillige i holdninger, kunnskap og ferdigheter i møte med personer i selvmordsfare

Abstract

Community facilitators, such as Red Cross volunteers, are in contact with vulnerable people in the local community and among those suicidal individuals. However, many are not prepared to identify and refer suicidal individuals to professional help. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a training program for Red Cross volunteers in improving attitudes towards suicide as well as knowledge and confidence in interaction with suicidal individuals. The research design was a prospective single-group pre-test and post-test evaluation. It was included 81 participants who had completed both the pre- and post-test. The training effects were measured by a survey administered before and after the training. The survey had three outcome variables; 1) attitudes towards suicide, 2) suicide intervention knowledge and 3) confidence in identifying suicidal individuals and motivating help-seeking. Post training the mean composite score of undesirable attitudes was reduced from 12.40 to 8.73, with a moderate effect (d = .61). The mean composite score for knowledge of suicide intervention increased from 1.69 to 1.99, with a small effect (d = -.27). The participants were also more confident in suicide intervention (M = 8.60, M = 12.93), with a large effect (d = -.69). The positive results support the continued implementation of the training module in Norwegian Red Cross, and opens the possibility of equivalent training of other groups of community facilitators in Norway.