SUICIDE in RURAL & REMOTE AREAS of AUSTRALIA - Living is for ...

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Suicide in rural and remote areas of Australia 79 reported an extremely high intention to help prior to the gate-keeper training. Further, as participation was voluntary, the high levels are probably a function of a highly-motivated sample. Indeed, attitudes and barriers were found to be signifi cant predictors of an intention to help: positive attitudes towards seeking help were positively-related while barriers were negatively related. A two-year follow-up evaluation of the SASPP project revealed a signifi cant relationship between the intention to help prior to the workshop and whether participants had actually helped a person at-risk of suicide (Deane et al, 2006). However, when the post-workshop evaluation was compared to the two-year follow-up, some concerns were raised. There appeared to be a relatively weak relationship between post-workshop intentions and a participant’s confidence to actually help; there was also a distinct decrease in participants’ intentions to make a mental health referral. Additionally, evidence as to whether this program was effective in its goal of reducing suicide rates was lacking (Deane et al, 2006). The Family WellBeing program (FWB) The Family WellBeing program (FWB) was developed by survivors of the Stolen Generation based in Adelaide and it specifi cally addresses the impacts of colonisation on the emotional health and well-being of Indigenous Australians. It seeks to empower people to take greater control over the conditions affecting their lives and places a particular emphasis on quality parenting and relationship skills. The evaluation methods have included: literature reviews; participant observation, where the principal evaluator participated in the course; analyses of the FWB course evaluation sheets which were completed by participants; and, narrative analyses, which examined graduates’ refl ections on the specifi c ways they had used the skills and knowledge learnt during FWB. The evaluation found that FWB positively impacted on resilience, problem-solving, social skills and the creation of positive role models (Tsey et al, 2005). It also showed that ‘outsider status’, a potential barrier experienced by non-Indigenous researchers, can be alleviated using the participant observation approach (Tsey, 2000). Participating in this way made others feel comfortable enough to share highly sensitive, and often traumatic, experiences with the evaluator. However, it should be noted that these evaluations may be infl uenced by self-report bias and the utilisation of participant feedback as the prevailing assessment measure (Tsey, 2000). GriffithBook FINAL 20/09.indd 79 15/11/12 4:28 PM
80 Suicide in rural and remote areas of Australia Building Bridges: Learning from the Experts (Building Bridges) The Building Bridges Project, a suicide prevention strategy implemented across four communities, was also recently evaluated. These communities were Yarrabah, Hope Vale and Kowanyama in Far North Queensland (ex-Deed of Grant in Trust communities), and Dalby, a mixed rural community in South-West Queensland (McKay et al, 2009). The Building Bridges Project built on, and extended, responses to self-harming and suicidal behaviours developed in Yarrabah during the 1990s. Yarrabah’s prevention activities were designed to protect at-risk individuals by strengthening and empowering both the individual and the community in which they lived. However, Building Bridges was innovative in that it utilised horizontal knowledge-sharing within and across communities to increase awareness of suicide risk and protective factors. Experiences, skills and knowledge from each community were shared via Men’s Groups, FWB and HITnet (interactive information kiosks). Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology ensured the research team worked collaboratively within the communities, learning from experiences specifi c to each community, and adjusting activities accordingly, to better implement and disseminate suicide prevention activities (McKay et al, 2009). The evaluation process incorporated focus groups and one-on-one interviews with project offi cers, participants, service providers and members of the community in all four communities. Information gathered from these focus groups and interviews made clear that the activities strengthened community connectedness, increased community capacity and strengthened empowerment. Further, community participants perceived the project to be successful based on (seemingly small) changes that directly affected them. However, the short-term nature of Building Bridges, and the myriad other interventions also occurring in these communities, made it diffi cult to assess the impact of activities on any changes in the self-harm and suicidal behaviours that occurred in each community. GriffithBook FINAL 20/09.indd 80 15/11/12 4:28 PM
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Australia’s rural localities face
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2 Suicide in rural and remote areas
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Introduction The burden of suicide
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10 Suicide in rural and remote area
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