Preliminary Findings of A Mixed Methods Evaluation of Pieta House-Suicide Intervention Model

Background: Rates of suicide and self-harm have been increasing in many countries in recent years, including Ireland. While there is a range of response initiatives designed to address suicidal behaviour only some have been... [ view full abstract ]

Background: Rates of suicide and self-harm have been increasing in many countries in recent years, including Ireland. While there is a range of response initiatives designed to address suicidal behaviour only some have been evaluated in an effort to establish their feasibility and effectiveness. Information regarding the specific therapeutic models and the components of these models that impact on suicidal behaviours is limited. It is important to situate the PH-SIM in the wider context of service provision in Ireland.

Aims and Objectives: To establish if the PH-SIM is a feasible and acceptable intervention for the target group and to ascertain if a large-scale controlled study of its effectiveness is warranted.
The Objectives are to:
• Establish client adherence rate to the PH-SIM through assessment of the therapeutic process (e.g. attendance, dropout and completion rates)
• Establish outcomes of the PH-SIM intervention for adults completing this intervention (e.g. changes in levels of depression, anxiety, self-esteem, resilience, suicidality)
• Identify key components of the PH-SIM that are experienced as helpful and unhelpful
• Explore attendees’ patterns of change and experiences of the model
• Identify if a large-scale study is warranted to establish the effectiveness of PH-SIM
• Establish the best methods for future evaluations
• Contribute to knowledge transfer in the field of suicidal behaviour

Method: This is an ongoing mixed methods study. A sample of 50 client participants will be recruited for quantitative psychometric tests and 15 client participants for qualitative semi-structured interviews. Quantitate data will be analyzed using SPSS and thematic analysis for the qualitative component. Ethical approval has been granted from DCU Research Ethics Committee.

Findings: We will present preliminary findings of an ongoing Feasibility Study of the Pieta House-Suicide Intervention Model (PH-SIM), with regard to client adherence rate, client outcomes and client’s experiences of the PH-SIM.

Conclusion and Implications: This ongoing feasibility study will help mental health practitioners understand the purpose of conducting a Feasibility Study for service evaluation, appreciate the complexity in devising appropriate measures to evaluate a therapeutic interventions and learn about preliminary findings in relation to evaluation of PH-SIM.