A Social Work Contribution to Suicide Prevention Through Assertive Brief Psychotherapy and Community Linkage: Use of the Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life (MANSA)

Abstract

There is a striking absence of literature articulating and evaluating clinical social work contributions to suicide prevention, despite considerable practice in this important field. This article reports on a model of assertive brief psychotherapeutic intervention and facilitated linkage to community services utilized in a prospective cohort study of emergency department suicide attempt aftercare. A key outcome measure, the Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life (MANSA), was used with 65 patients to assess psychosocial domains at initial presentation, 4-weeks, 3-months, and 6-months. There were significant improvements in the domains of work, finance, leisure, social life, living situation, personal safety and health by 3 months. There were highly significant correlations between psychosocial improvements and improved depression scores.

Keywords:

• mental health
• hospital social work
• psychosocial intervention
• depression
• attempted suicide
• emergency
• quality of life
• practice-based research

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge Rosemary Stevenson, for her roles as clinician, researcher, and committee member; and John Balla, Enrico Cementon, Sean Jespersen, Peter Kelly, and Zeff Koutsogiannis, for supporting the clinical practice-based research through their roles on the WASPS Operational and Steering Committees. The authors acknowledge Western Health and the University of Melbourne, School of Social Work and Department of Psychiatry, for conducting the WASPS project; Graham Hepworth and Sandy Clark of the University of Melbourne Statistical Consulting Centre for statistical assistance; and the funding body, Commonwealth Department of Health and Aging.