CALM CARPE Diem Gatekeeper Training For Resident Assistants

Suicide prevention has become a focal point on college campuses as the concept of suicide prevention is more widely understood and epidemiological findings suggest that the rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among this population are increasing. The implementation of suicide prevention training including practices to reduce access to lethal means, “means reduction,” gives individuals, called gatekeepers, the skills to intervene during a suicidal crisis. CALM CARPE Diem is a suicide prevention gatekeeper training that includes information intended to inform participants about why suicide prevention is necessary, give them the skills to implement suicide prevention, and teach about means reduction methods. The effectiveness of the CALM CARPE Diem Gatekeeper Training was assessed in this study by measuring Resident Assistants’ (RAs) perceptions of confidence when learning of students living in the residence halls who might be experiencing a suicidal crisis. CALM CARPE Diem gatekeeper training was delivered to 17 RAs at a medium sized comprehensive university in the southeastern U.S. Confidence in suicide prevention and means reduction strategies was assessed at pre-training, post-training, and after a four week follow-up via Qualtrics. Results revealed a significant increase in knowledge and confidence in means reduction principles from baseline to post-training, gains that were sustained at follow-up. These results suggest that CALM CARPE Diem may have comparable effects to other suicide prevention trainings, and may indicate a benefit to using this training for RAs and other gatekeeper populations.