Suicide Prevention Across the Community: Evaluation of Mental Health Training for Multiple Gatekeeper Groups

Suicide rates in the U.S. are higher than the global average, with rural areas experiencing even greater rates. This study investigated whether a single suicide prevention training could improve knowledge, awareness, and intention to act among various gatekeeper populations in Kansas, a rural state with elevated suicide rates.

Licensed clinical psychologists at a public university in Kansas developed an evidence-based suicide prevention training program, offered online to multiple subgroups: university faculty, staff, and students, health care workers, and community members (voluntarily), as well as high school staff and students (compulsorily). The study employed a reliable, validated instrument to assess participants' knowledge, awareness, and intention to act using a Likert-type scale. Participants also reported whether they had completed prior suicide prevention training. A total of 865 participants provided retrospective pre/post responses, and the data were analyzed using paired samples t-tests and one-way ANOVA/Kruskal-Wallis tests.

Overall, participants in all subgroups, regardless of prior training, showed statistically significant pre/post increases across all measures. While no significant differences were found in learning between recruitment subgroups, variations were identified based on the number of previous trainings completed.

The findings support the effectiveness of a single suicide prevention training across diverse populations, suggesting important implications for targeting training efforts and optimizing resource allocation in high-need environments.