A Developmental Model of Clergy Engagement With Suicide: A Qualitative Study.

Clergy have a key role in suicide prevention but report being undertrained, perhaps because a model that captures the competencies needed to engage suicide in faith communities and how these skills develop has not previously been available. Using grounded theory, this study addressed this gap by generating a developmental rubric based on interviews with 19 Protestant clergy, which were analyzed using a constant comparative method and were checked by interviewees operating at the highest level of development. The final 10 dimensions described over four developmental stages are (a) knowing role as clergy, (b) listening, (c) confidence, (d) risk assessment, (e) referral, (f) self-care, (g) community building, (h) postvention: ministering to survivors, (i) conducting memorial services or memorial ceremonies, and (j) clergy guilt. Results are based on clergy's intuitive categories and provide a usable rubric for developing suicide prevention training for clergy.

Predictors of Clergy's Ability to Fulfill a Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Role.

Catholic, Jewish and Protestant clergy (n = 801) completed a survey to identify predictors of clergy's ability to fulfill a suicide gatekeeper role. Exploratory backward stepwise regression identified predictors of risk identification including suicide knowledge, religion, conducting suicide funerals, having an attitude that people have a right to die, age, and race. Predictors of ability to intervene include suicide knowledge, training, religion, right to die attitude, and ethnicity. Recommendations include more suicide training and clergy self-care.

Clergy as Suicide Prevention Gatekeepers.

801 U.S. Catholic, Jewish and Protestant clergy reported on their suicide gatekeeping activities. Using vignettes, they identified suicide risk and selected interventions for three risk levels. Two-thirds of the sample who provide counseling reported at least one contact from a suicidal person per year. Clergy were significantly more concurrent with experts in identifying risk and selecting interventions with high risk but deviated more from the experts with low and medium risk. Most reported needing more training.

Using the Delphi method to engage stakeholders: a comparison of two studies.

Involving stakeholders can greatly impact evaluation results. The Delphi method, a consensus-building tool, is a promising process to promote and encourage involvement from all stakeholders during the evaluation framing process. The Delphi method removes geographic challenges and time boundaries allowing all stakeholders to participate. The Delphi method uses a series of surveys interspersed with controlled feedback designed to gather information and build consensus without requiring face-to-face meetings. Two different formats of the Delphi method, a paper-and-pencil, postal-mail version and a web-based, real-time computer version are compared in this study. Both versions of the Delphi were administered to a non-profit community based organization as part of framing an evaluation. Participation rates were better with the paper-pencil version. The quantity and quality of data collected were comparable in both versions.