Social Service Directors' Roles and Self-Efficacy in Suicide Risk Management in US Nursing Homes

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Mental Health Services
• Public Health

Background:

• Nursing home residents face elevated suicide risk, particularly during transitions.
• Social service directors (SSDs) play a key role in managing suicide risk within these facilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To delineate the roles of nursing home SSDs in suicide risk management.
• To identify factors influencing SSDs' self-efficacy in suicide risk management.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the 2019 National Nursing Home Social Services Directors survey (n=924).
• Employed ordinal logistic regression to analyze factors associated with self-efficacy in suicide risk management.

Main Results:

• Nearly one-fifth (19.7%) of SSDs reported low self-efficacy in suicide risk management.
• Master's-prepared SSDs, those perceiving staffing as a minor barrier, and those involved in safety planning reported higher self-efficacy.

Conclusions:

• Highlights the need for specialized suicide prevention training for nursing home social service staff, emphasizing evidence-based practices like safety planning.
• Underscores the critical importance of sufficient qualified social service staffing to address the mental health needs of nursing home residents.