Suicide prevention gatekeeper training for those supporting refugees and asylum seekers: perspectives of participants

ABSTRACT

This research explored participants’ experience and perceptions of a two-day suicide prevention education programme, and any impact that it has had on them and their work with refugees and asylum seekers since. At approximately six months post-training (May to September 2018), semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 15 participants. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and thematically analysed. Thematic analysis of the data identified two overarching themes and five subthemes. The two overarching themes were: (1) Changes to the individual and their practice; and (2) The culture and context of the work. Participants described a range of impacts that the training had on them and their workplace, in both personal and professional domains. The study findings suggest that equipping workers with skills and knowledge in culturally tailored and evidence-based suicide prevention can lead to an increased sense of hope, optimism, confidence, and agency and reportedly enabled workers to more readily intervene when presented with clients directly or indirectly communicating suicidal ideation. Findings support existing literature regarding gatekeeper training effectiveness. However, given the unique context of asylum seeker and refugee suicide, they also extend our understanding of the impact of bespoke or tailored approaches to gatekeeper training.

KEYWORDS:

• Suicide prevention
• gatekeeper training
• refugee
• asylum seeker

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Data sets are publicly unavailable.

Notes

1 A person who meets the eligibility criteria under the applicable refugee definition, as provided for by international or regional instruments, under UNHCR’s mandate, and/or in national legislation (UNHCR, 2005).

2 An individual who is seeking international protection. In countries with individualised procedures, an asylum-seeker is someone whose claim has not yet been finally decided on by the country in which the claim is submitted. Not every asylum-seeker will ultimately be recognised as a refugee, but every refugee was initially an asylum-seeker (UNHCR, 2005).

3 Social worker, team leader, intake and assessment, coordinator of volunteers, and professional development.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a crowdfunding campaign. https://chuffed.org/project/preventing-asylum-seeker-suicide. We acknowledge all private and major donors: Australian Red Cross (ARC), Australian Migrant Educational Services (AMES), Association for Services to Torture and Trauma Survivors (ASeTTS) and Survivors of Torture & Trauma Assistance & Rehabilitation Service (STTARS).