Date of Conferral

8-21-2025

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Dr. Margaret Harvey

Abstract

This Doctor of Nursing Practice education project aimed to enhance mental health providers’ preparedness in culturally competent suicide screening, specifically for African American males with bipolar disorder in a behavioral health department. The practice issue identified was a lack of documented training, leading to underdiagnosis, missed interventions, and health disparities driven by cultural stigma, provider discomfort, and the absence of standardized guidelines. This represents a serious patient safety concern for African American males with mood disorders, such as bipolar, who are significantly underserved in mental health care. The guiding question was: Does a suicide screening education program improve the knowledge of mental health providers when screening African American males with bipolar disorder? A two-hour workshop was conducted, and 10 participants completed pre- and post-intervention Likert-scale surveys measuring self-reported knowledge and familiarity with suicide screening tools. Descriptive statistics showed improvements across items in the survey. The training proved effective, resulting in a replicable, validated educational module. Improving providers’ cultural competence and suicide risk assessment skills for African American males with bipolar disorder. This intervention supports staff education to improve staff’s ability to engage in screening to provide earlier diagnosis, better treatment outcomes, and improved trust between providers and patients. It offers a scalable model for broader use in behavioral health settings to reduce disparities and improve care quality for vulnerable populations and promote a positive social change.

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