The effectiveness of telephone interventions by suicide prevention centres.

Résumé

Describes the activities of suicide prevention programs and their effectiveness to explore the nature of interventions provided by volunteers in suicide prevention centers. A study was conducted of both directive and non-directive telephone intervention services in which volunteers listened to 617 suicidal callers at 2 Quebec centers and coded all responses. Three methods of evaluation were used to determine program effectiveness: (1) changes in depression ratings, (2) changes in urgency, and (3) contract (i.e., an agreement) established. Results show that many callers felt less depressed at the end of a call, they tended to engage in constructive steps following an initial contact, and there was a reduction in suicidal urgency in most callers. INTERVENTION-CRISE PRÉVENTION BÉNÉVOLE ADULTE ÉVALUATION QUÉBEC