Systematic Review: Population and Community-based Interventions to Prevent Suicide

Prepared by: Evidence Synthesis Program (ESP) Center Minneapolis VA Health Care System Minneapolis, MN Timothy J. Wilt, MD, MPH, Director Wei Duan-Porter, MD, PhD, Associate Director Recommended citation: Sultan S, Linskens E, Gustavson A, Sayer N, Murdoch M, MacDonald R, McKenzie L, Ullman K, Venables N, Wilt T. Population and community-based interventions to prevent suicide: a systematic review. Washington, DC: Evidence Synthesis Program, Health Services Research and Development Service, Office of Research and Development, Department of Veterans Affairs. VA ESP Project #09-009; 2021.

Download PDF: Complete Report, Executive Summary, Report, Appendices

Introduction

The purpose of this review was to examine the published literature on the effectiveness and harms of community-based or population-level strategies aimed at preventing suicide. We limited our review to studies conducted in non-health care settings and excluded studies that focused on pharmacologic treatments or psychotherapy.

Key Questions

Key Question #1: What are the effects of population and community-based prevention interventions on suicide attempts and suicide deaths?

Key Question #1a. What are the key/common components of the most effective interventions?

Key Question #1b: What strategies have been used to deliver, sustain, and improve the quality of the most effective interventions?

Key Question #1c: How do the effects vary by differences in community/setting and characteristics of individuals targeted?

Key Question #2: What are the potential unintended consequences of population and community-based prevention interventions?

See also

Systematic Review: Population and Community-based Interventions to Prevent Suicide (Management eBrief)

Gustavson A, Linskens E, Sayer N, et al. The intersection of implementation science and community-based suicide prevention research: Opportunities to advance the field. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2021;290:237-239. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.04.043

Linskens EJ, Venables NC, Gustavson AM, et al. Population- and Community-Based Interventions to Prevent Suicide: A Systematic Review. Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention. Published online September 2, 2022. DOI: 10.1027/0227-5910/a000873.

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