Professional reactions and changes in practice following patient suicide: what do we know about mental health professionals’ profiles?
The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice
ISSN: 1755-6228
Article publication date: 14 September 2015
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze and describe the profiles of mental health professionals and their relationship to professional reactions and changes in working practice following a patient suicide.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from 713 mental health professionals working in various institutional settings and in private practice in French-speaking Switzerland were collected by written questionnaires.
Findings
Four distinct profiles with low to moderate professional reactions and changes in working practice were identified by cluster analysis. The type and intensity of relationship between professional and patient, and psychological and/or social support following the patient suicide were the most discriminant factors of the four profiles.
Originality/value
The findings contribute to the understanding of professional consequences of patient suicide on mental health professionals.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The study was supported by two grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation (13DPD3-109845 and 13DPD3-120560) and by the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland (HES-SO). The study was approved by the Ethical Committee of the University Hospitals of Lausanne and Geneva.
Citation
Gulfi, A., Heeb, J.-L., Castelli Dransart, D.A. and Gutjahr, E. (2015), "Professional reactions and changes in practice following patient suicide: what do we know about mental health professionals’ profiles?", The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice, Vol. 10 No. 4, pp. 256-267. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMHTEP-11-2014-0034
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited