217232 Formative development of web-based suicide prevention training resources for faith leaders

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Richard Goldsworthy, PhD, MSEd , Academic Edge, Inc., Bloomington, IN
Background. Suicide is a leading cause of death in persons aged 10-34 and among males. National strategic public health documents identify faith leaders as key suicide first responders. However, few information and training resources are readily available to facilitate adoption of suicide-related risk reduction and mitigation behaviors among faith leaders. This project targeted this gap by creating a suicide prevention portal and Flash-based web course tailored specifically for faith leaders. Methodology. Audience analysis included nationally distributed structured interviews (n=30) and a survey (n=200) of current practices, beliefs, and barriers. Content analysis and development drew upon published recommendations and existing related curricula with input from a panel of respected suicide prevention, faith, behavior change, and education researchers and practitioners. Usability and efficacy data were gathered through mixed-methods single-subject usability trials and a field trial among a diverse sample of faith leaders. Results. For four core suicide prevention related professional behaviors, a web-deliverable course was created in Flash and includes video cases of high-performing faith leaders. An interactive web portal, delivered via a state-of-the-art content management system, provides access to the course and to aggregated suicide prevention content. Evaluation participants rated the course and portal highly on usability, usefulness, and consumer satisfaction scales and significant growth in knowledge, perceived preparedness, and self-efficacy were observed among course participants. Suggestions for improvement included more diverse cases , implementation tools, and local resources. The presentation will describe the development and evaluation activities and discuss implications for implementation and future research. Funded in part by NIMH/NIH#R41MH077401

Learning Areas:
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related education

Learning Objectives:
describe mixed-methods audience and needs analysis research regarding faith leader adoption and implementation of suicide prevention activities describe literature review and content analysis of existing evidence-based practices and suggested guidelines for faith leader suicide prevention activities describe the design and development of a evidence-based Flash-based course and an encompassing CMS-delivered web portal based on this audience and content analysis evaluate the value and utility of the mixed-methods research and the web-based tools for their own suicide prevention training and/or program implementation efforts

Keywords: Suicide, Training

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I served as the principal investigator for the reported NIH funded grant effort and have 15+ years experience conceptualizing and conducting behavior change and professional development research efforts. Our team includes nationally recognized experts in suicide prevention, behavior change, and media design and development.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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