Veterans and service members: A mixed methods action research study of suicide intervention

Abstract:Social workers must identify those at risk, work together, and provide community support in advancing suicide intervention efforts. It is essential to remain culturally competent and understand the military's unique culture to build trust and a positive rapport. Social workers strive to improve people's lives and ensure their basic needs are met. They collaborate with clients to achieve this, advocating for social justice and change. This work emphasizes core values like social justice, integrity, competence, service, human value, and strong relationships. Military culture instills distinct values in service members and veterans, such as discipline, teamwork, self-sacrifice, and loyalty, which they carry into their professional and personal lives. Understanding military culture will help social workers in their ability to relate to and support veterans and service member clients while creating a more potent therapeutic relationship. The following research question guided this study: Do social workers’ intervention skills increase after being trained in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)? This study investigated how ASIST affects social workers' skills in suicide intervention and their ability to respond to someone at immediate risk of suicide. Five social workers participated in this mixed-methods research design. Each participant completed a demographics survey, a pre- and post-Suicide Intervention Response Inventory-2 (SIRI-2) questionnaire, and an end-of-course feedback form required by participants at the end of every ASIST training. Results concluded that the participants had improvement in their SIRI-2 scores, resulting in increased competency in suicide intervention skills from the ASIST training. The ASIST feedback form allows trainers and program developers to deeply understand the training's effectiveness by analyzing participant feedback using a thematic analysis approach. The input presented by the participants proved an increase in skills and confidence. It is recommended that follow-up assessments should be completed to fully understand the effect of ASIST on social workers, veterans, and servicemembers at risk of suicide.

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