Projects / Programmes
E-knowledge for mental health: development, implementation and evaluation of online interventions for suicide prevention and strengthening of mental health
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 5.09.00 |
Social sciences |
Psychology |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| S260 |
Social sciences |
Psychology |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 5.01 |
Social Sciences |
Psychology and cognitive sciences |
suicide prevention, online interventions, evaluation
Researchers (13)
Organisations (2)
Abstract
Worldwide, suicide is a major public health problem, with the 14th most common cause of mortality, representing 1.5% of all deaths (Mann, Haas, Mehlum and Phillips, 2005; O'Connor and Nock, 2014). Slovenia is among the countries that are more at risk for suicide (Marušič and Zorko, 2004; Roškar, Zorko and Podlesek, 2015). The average suicide rate in Slovenia between 2003 and 2011 was 22.21 / 100.000, which is once more than the average of the European Union countries (NIJZ, 2018). In the last two decades, suicide mortality in Slovenia fell by about 30% (Roškar, Zorko and Podlesek, 2015), which suggests the need to continue implementing and developing new forms of preventive programs.
Suicide prevention should be done on different levels with specific target populations and approaches. It is essential to bring together professionals and the lay public, to raise awareness and knowledge of mental health and respond to suicidal behavior (van der Feltz-Cornelis et al., 2011). This increases the perception of one's own effectiveness and skills to provide assistance to the person at risk and reduces the stigma (Jorm et al., 2000; 2006).
The disadvantage of regular face-to-face trainings is usually in the lack of time or resources to participate. New technologies go beyond the disadvantages of traditional training methods and represent their important alternative. In some other countries, e-platforms for improving awareness of mental health and prevention of suicide have already been successfully implemented, while in Slovenia this is still being implemented in traditional ways; therefore changes are needed.
The purpose of the proposed project is to develop, implement and evaluate innovative and adapted quality interactive e-platform for the Slovenian space, in order to properly identify suicidal behavior and to act upon it. We will develop an online training platform in the Slovenian language to strengthen the knowledge and skills in preventing suicidal behavior, evaluate its feasibility, usefulness and effectiveness in relation to classical awareness raising and aducational trainings.
The platform will be developed for the general public and for various professional publics facing vulnerable population groups (ie, system keepers). By involving the public, we will capture a large number of people on one hand, regardless of the level of their vulnerability, and, on the other hand, with the involvement of experts, we will also focus on individuals who are vulnerable to suicidal behavior. The aim is to empower primarily those professionals who do not deal with mental health in a specialized way in their work.
The content of the platform will cover suicide awareness (epidemiology, knowledge of signs of suicidal behavior, risk factors and protection factors) and the response competencies (what to do and how to act in case of facing an individual at risk of suicide). Individual content will be presented in expectedly 10 training modules, depending on which target group the module will be intended for - the modules intended for the general public will contain mostly basic information, while the modules for the experts will be more in depth. When designing the modules, we will follow the principles that the application of the program must be user-friendly, and the contents are easily and quickly accessible. The contents of the module will be tailored to the individual, depending on the information that the user will provide when entering the program.
For effective evaluation, checking the efficiency and usability of the online platform we will use both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. With qualitative methods (questionnaires, scales) we will check the usefulness of the platform, the literacy of users about mental health, their knowledge of suicide facts and the point of view for help searching, and stigma to suicide. Quantitative methods (interviews) will be used to obtain users' opinions about their experience
Significance for science
The research will be included in the activities of the Slovenian Center for Suicide Research (SCRS) and will provide an opportunity to obtain original results and findings. This will be an important contribution in the field of suicide research in Slovenia and internationally, where online interventions and programs are already in place. Acquired data will provide insight into the usability and suitability of online intervention in this field for different target groups.
The online platform represents an advancement to the offer of already existing interventions in this field and provides a new way of interaction between users from different target groups, which is an important opportunity to connect various public, coming in contact with individuals at risk of suicide. With this, the program will follow the guidelines of multidisciplinarity and multi-level interventions that are crucial for preventing suicidal behavior. This represents an important contribution to scientific and professional development in this field.
By involving the general public and various professional audiences, the project will follow the principles of universal and selective prevention. On the one hand, the online platform will capture a large number of people, regardless of the level of danger, and, on the other hand, through the involvement of experts, we will focus on individuals who are particularly vulnerable to suicidal behavior. The online platform will enable the dissemination of knowledge and awareness of suicidal behavior through various audiences, and the content of the program will help empower individuals to act in the event of contact with a suicidally deprived person. The research will thus represent an important contribution to science and the profession, as the program will offer specific skills and competences, important for identifying and addressing suicidal behavior, and enabling access to these skills to the wider public. Therefore, the online platform represents an important and original way of disseminating awareness and prevention programs to less developed regions and to areas where such services are more difficult to access or lacking.
The study also addresses specific goals in the field of prevention of suicide, defined by the Resolution of the National Program on Mental Health (RNPDZ), adopted in 2018. These objectives are:
· Raising awareness and literacy in the field of mental health, focusing on suicide
· Early identification of people at risk
· Providing access to assistance and treatment to the individuals at risk
One of the important strategic objectives of the RNPDZ is to reduce the suicide coefficient by 15% in Slovenia over the next 10 years. The results of our study will have a direct and direct impact on the mental health of individual groups and society as a whole, with which we want to contribute to reducing the suicide rate and thus to achieve the strategic goal of RNPDZ.
Significance for the country
The research will be included in the activities of the Slovenian Center for Suicide Research (SCRS) and will provide an opportunity to obtain original results and findings. This will be an important contribution in the field of suicide research in Slovenia and internationally, where online interventions and programs are already in place. Acquired data will provide insight into the usability and suitability of online intervention in this field for different target groups.
The online platform represents an advancement to the offer of already existing interventions in this field and provides a new way of interaction between users from different target groups, which is an important opportunity to connect various public, coming in contact with individuals at risk of suicide. With this, the program will follow the guidelines of multidisciplinarity and multi-level interventions that are crucial for preventing suicidal behavior. This represents an important contribution to scientific and professional development in this field.
By involving the general public and various professional audiences, the project will follow the principles of universal and selective prevention. On the one hand, the online platform will capture a large number of people, regardless of the level of danger, and, on the other hand, through the involvement of experts, we will focus on individuals who are particularly vulnerable to suicidal behavior. The online platform will enable the dissemination of knowledge and awareness of suicidal behavior through various audiences, and the content of the program will help empower individuals to act in the event of contact with a suicidally deprived person. The research will thus represent an important contribution to science and the profession, as the program will offer specific skills and competences, important for identifying and addressing suicidal behavior, and enabling access to these skills to the wider public. Therefore, the online platform represents an important and original way of disseminating awareness and prevention programs to less developed regions and to areas where such services are more difficult to access or lacking.
The study also addresses specific goals in the field of prevention of suicide, defined by the Resolution of the National Program on Mental Health (RNPDZ), adopted in 2018. These objectives are:
· Raising awareness and literacy in the field of mental health, focusing on suicide
· Early identification of people at risk
· Providing access to assistance and treatment to the individuals at risk
One of the important strategic objectives of the RNPDZ is to reduce the suicide coefficient by 15% in Slovenia over the next 10 years. The results of our study will have a direct and direct impact on the mental health of individual groups and society as a whole, with which we want to contribute to reducing the suicide rate and thus to achieve the strategic goal of RNPDZ.
Most important scientific results
Interim report
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Interim report
