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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Jean Demmler, PhD, Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver, 2148 S. High St., Denver, CO 80208, 303-871-4099, jdemmler@du.edu, Anita Saranga Coen, LCSW, Focus Research & Evaluation, 4039 S. Quince St., Denver, CO 80237, and Nancy B. Csuti, Dr PH, The Colorado Trust, 1600 Sherman St., Denver, CO 80203.

Suicide prevention efforts often include training citizens to be “gatekeepers “ – persons who can identify signs of suicidal behavior among fellow citizens, persuade a person who is at risk of suicide to seek help and refer the person to appropriate clinical help. Gatekeeper training is becoming a common strategy for community-based suicide prevention efforts. Funded by The Colorado Trust, gatekeeper training has been an important component in community-based suicide prevention plans across Colorado. While there is evidence that gatekeeper training leads to greater knowledge of suicidal risks and behaviors, there is little information about the subsequent intervention behavior of persons trained as gatekeepers. The evaluation of the Colorado Trust's Preventing Suicide in Colorado Initiative has had a focus on the potential performance of gatekeeper roles by over 200 persons who have been trained across the state. An on-line log has been used to collect data from trainees to determine if and how they have intervened with persons who are at-risk of suicide. This paper presents the implementation of gatekeeper trainings in this statewide initiative and suggests limited success as a public health prevention strategy.

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