Paper
Saturday, July 24, 2004
Suicide Prevention Research: Perils and Safeguards
Barbara L. Drew, RN, PhD, College of Nursing, College of Nursing, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
| Learning Objective #1: Identify three barriers to suicide research
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| Learning Objective #2: Propose three approaches that will address the difficulties of suicide research |
Problem: Suicide is one of the leading causes of preventable death world-wide with nearly one million people taking their lives each year. Yet we are still unable to reasonably predict suicide and empirically supported interventions are, unfortunately, in short supply. Research about suicide and prevention efforts has its own peculiar demands and is fraught with potential hazards that require careful consideration when planning and conducting a study. Purpose: The purpose of this presentation is to examine barriers to the conduct of suicide research and to provide a forum for a discussion about potential remedies. Summary: The issues that will be explored include methodological problems due to the low base rate of suicide and inconsistency in terminology, ethical considerations of research with vulnerable persons as participants, liability risks for the researcher and sponsoring institutions associated with intervention research, and stigma and sanctions against suicide resulting in under-reporting of death-by-suicide, variability in suicide statistics across regions, and requirements for extra vigilance in maintaining confidentiality. Examples from the literature and from my own research will serve as illustrations. Implications: Many of the barriers to suicide research can be mitigated by consultation and collaboration with a community of suicide research scholars. Knowledge about methods gathered from research experiences and from the literature can be shared and stored in a centralized location.
Back to Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing
Back to 15th International Nursing Research Congress
Sigma Theta Tau International
July 22-24, 2004