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

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