Date of Conferral

1-1-2011

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Anthony R. Perry

Abstract

Gatekeeper Suicide Prevention Trainings such as Question Persuade and Refer (QPR) are used to increase suicide awareness and teach participants basic suicide intervention skills. Previous researchers showed that QPR training increases knowledge of suicide risk factors and increases participants' willingness to intervene with individuals at risk of suicide. It was hypothesized that completion of QPR would also increase positive attitudes toward the utilization of mental health services and that this outcome would be more pronounced among male participants. The examination of attitudes was rooted in the theoretical framework of Ajzen's theory of planned behavior. The Inventory of Attitudes toward Seeking Mental Health Services (IASMHS) was the instrument used for the study. The study occurred in a rural community college in southern Oregon. Student attitudes were assessed prior to completion of a 1-hour QPR presentation followed by a 3-week post assessment. Analysis of Variance revealed significant effects of QPR training. IASMHS scores were significantly higher at post QPR training. A significant interaction between gender and QPR training showed that women scored significantly higher than men only at pre QPR training. There was no statistical gender difference in attitudes measured by the IASMHS at post QPR training. QPR increased help seeking attitudes in both men and women with the increase being more pronounced in men. Increasing positive attitudes toward help seeking can contribute to positive social change. Practitioners in the field of men's health should consider using gatekeeper suicide prevention training such as QPR as a means of increasing male help seeking.

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