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Intention to Enact and Enactment of Gatekeeper Behaviors for Suicide Prevention: an Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior

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Abstract

Gatekeeper training for suicide prevention was evaluated on a college campus to examine the impact of training on gatekeeper enactment of behaviors in support of suicide prevention and identify predictors of enactment of gatekeeper behaviors. Trained gatekeepers (N = 216) displayed greater perceived knowledge and self-efficacy for suicide prevention and reported higher rates of self-reported actual gatekeeper behaviors, including inquiring about suicidal ideation and referring for mental health treatment when they encountered someone in distress, compared to their untrained counterparts (N = 169). Consistent with the Theory of Planned Behavior, SEM results indicated that attitudes, self-efficacy, and perceived knowledge explained intentions to engage in gatekeeper behaviors, accounting for 59% of the variance in intentions to inquire about suicidal ideation and supporting the role of attitudes and perceived behavioral control in intentions to act. These intentions explained self-reported actual gatekeeper behaviors among participants who encountered someone in distress, with each one-point increase in intention associated with nearly twice the likelihood of both inquiring about suicidal ideation and referring someone for mental health care. On the other hand, self-reported situational barriers were associated with a decreased likelihood of referral behavior, indicating the role of actual behavioral control over volitional actions. Findings support the value of gatekeeper training for promoting factors that influence the likelihood of action on behalf of suicide prevention.

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Notes

  1. Due to the number of variables and space restrictions, the results of the individual measurement models are not reported. Information about these models is available upon request from the first author.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported in part by a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, 36688, USA

    Shane T. W. Kuhlman

  2. Department of Psychology, University of West Florida, 11000 University Parkway, Pensacola, FL, 32514, USA

    Shane T. W. Kuhlman, Susan E. Walch & April D. Glenn

  3. Department of Psychology, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, 60616, USA

    Kristina N. Bauer

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  1. Shane T. W. Kuhlman
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  2. Susan E. Walch
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  3. Kristina N. Bauer
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  4. April D. Glenn
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Correspondence to Susan E. Walch.

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Funding and Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest

This research was supported in part by work funded through a campus suicide prevention grant (award# U79SM060495) from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The study design, implementation, analysis, interpretation, and reporting were conducted independently from funding obligations, and SAMHSA had no role in the research or the preparation of this report. The authors declare that they have no other potential conflicts of interest.

Research Involving Human Participants and Informed Consent

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Kuhlman, S.T.W., Walch, S.E., Bauer, K.N. et al. Intention to Enact and Enactment of Gatekeeper Behaviors for Suicide Prevention: an Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior. Prev Sci 18, 704–715 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-017-0786-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-017-0786-0

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