Targeted suicide training empowers nursing assistant students to act
New research from the University of Southern Denmark, the Centre for Suicide Research, and the Centre for Suicide Prevention shows that suicide prevention training for nursing assistant students enhances their ability to support people at risk of suicide. Suicide prevention training is now being tested in residential facilities.
One in four employees in the social and healthcare sector has encountered a suicide attempt among service users. Nursing assistants often work with individuals who experience suicidal thoughts or display suicidal behaviour. Yet one in three reports lacking the necessary knowledge to handle these situations, resulting in uncertainty and a feeling of helplessness.
New findings from the University of Southern Denmark show that suicide prevention training for nursing assistant students significantly improves their understanding and ability to respond when supporting individuals at risk of suicide.
– The students still find it uncomfortable and difficult to ask about suicidal thoughts, but they’re now prepared to do so because they feel more confident. They say they are willing to intervene or take action in the future, explains Mette Valdersdorf Jensen, assistant professor at the Centre for Suicide Research, the Department of Regional Health Research, and Mental Health Services in the Region of Southern Denmark.
Suicidal behaviour
Suicidal behaviour includes suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, and suicide.
The risk increases for individuals with psychiatric diagnoses. Borderline personality disorder, substance misuse, depression, and schizophrenia pose the highest risk.
While previous studies have highlighted the value of training healthcare staff, the educational efforts and research have largely focused on doctors and nurses – not on nursing assistants.
Greater awareness and preparedness to act
As part of the study, a suicide prevention training package was developed specifically for nursing assistant students. The material combines in-person and digital teaching with practice-based exercises designed to reflect real-life situations.
Students’ knowledge and willingness to respond to suicidal behaviour were measured before and after completing the training.
– We carried out a questionnaire survey before and after the course, and it was clear that students had increased their knowledge about suicide and suicidal behaviour, says Mette Valdersdorf Jensen.
The findings suggest that targeted suicide prevention training can make a real difference for nursing assistants. Although talking about suicide remains a sensitive and challenging topic, education helps students feel better equipped to offer support.
Mette Valdersdorf Jensen hopes to continue the research to determine whether this increased knowledge and preparedness leads to action in everyday practice. Over the next three years, she and her colleagues will conduct a project testing and evaluating suicide prevention training for staff working in residential care settings.
About the study
The teaching material includes literature and reflection questions and aims to give students a foundational understanding of suicide and suicidal behaviour.
Students also engage in practice-based exercises, such as working with case scenarios where they assess suicide risk using various assessment tools introduced during the training.
The study involved a pre- and post-training questionnaire that assessed the students' knowledge of suicidal behaviour and their willingness to act – for instance, by asking questions or alerting other healthcare professionals if someone displayed suicidal behaviour.
Participants were first-year students from two healthcare assistant training programmes in the Region of Southern Denmark.
A total of 89 students took part in the training, of whom 68 completed both questionnaires.
The impact of suicide prevention training for nursing assistant students: Knowledge and willingness to intervene is published in the journal PLOS One.
Meet the researcher
Mette Valdersdorf Jensen is an assistant professor at the Department of Regional Health Research and Mental Health Services in the Region of Southern Denmark, Research Unit of Psychiatry in Aabenraa, and the Centre for Suicide Research.
Livslinien
If you’re in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, you can contact Livslinien at +45 70 201 201.