Participatory model building for suicide prevention in Canada

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Psychology
• Sociology

Background:

• Suicide is a complex behavior influenced by biological, psychological, social, cultural, and environmental factors.
• A participatory workshop engaged suicide prevention employees to develop a conceptual model of these factors.
• The model aims to organize and communicate the intricate relationships influencing suicide.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a conceptual model illustrating the interconnections between factors related to suicide.
• To facilitate knowledge emergence and consensus building among suicide prevention experts.
• To create a tool for understanding and communicating suicide risk and prevention.

Main Methods:

• A participatory model building workshop was conducted with fifteen federal public health organization employees.
• Facilitators used a developed script for group and individual activities to elicit implicit models of risk and protective factors.
• Participants drew relationships between factors and listed prevention levers used in Canada or described in literature.

Main Results:

• A conceptual model was drafted, outlining risk and prevention factors and identified prevention levers.
• Participants generated "lessons learned" to enhance future workshops.
• The process fostered consensus and knowledge sharing among experts.

Conclusions:

• The workshop successfully yielded a conceptual model contextualizing upstream factors in suicide prevention.
• This model provides a valuable framework for understanding suicide prevention efforts in Canada.
• The developed model can inform future research and interventions in suicide prevention.