Attitudes of Japanese nursing personnel toward patients who have attempted suicide

Abstract

Objective The aim of this study was to examine the attitudes among Japanese nurses together with their perceived need for training in relation to understanding the nature of suicidal behavior and preventive strategies. Methods The Understanding Suicidal Patients scale together with additional questions reflecting training and the psychiatric treatment of suicide attempters were administered. Results A total of 323 nurses attended this study. Overall, the nurses thought patients who attempted suicide were not treated well. The nurses who worked in the psychiatric unit or had the experience in psychiatric nursing had more favorable attitudes toward suicidal patients and viewed themselves as having more relevant skill training in dealing with suicidal patients than those who did not. The nurses who worked at emergency care/intensive care unit were less likely to understand suicidal patients, and were less inclined to be sympathetic and to verbally interact with suicidal patients concerning their problems. The nurses who have confidence in the psychiatric care of suicidal patients, confidence in their own skills, and have a need for more training had the more positive attitudes. Conclusions The results suggest that less favorable attitudes may to some extent be the result of lack of knowledge regarding suicidal patients. Future studies should focus on the evaluation of educational experiences on attitudes and skill acquisition of nurses.