The Effects of Therapist Expertise and Concerns of Involuntary Hospitalization on the Disclosure of Suicidal Ideations and Behavior

Author

Zane Hensel, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Abstract

Suicide continues to grow as a complex and multi-faceted problem in prevention and treatment, particularly for college students with an increased predictor of risk of suicidal behaviors. Previous research has indicated that one of the largest concerns for suicide disclosure is a fear of involuntary hospitalization. Over 200 college students participated in examining therapist expertise and understanding information on involuntary hospitalization on their rate of suicide disclosure. A 2x2 MANOVA, a 2x2x2 MANOVA that included gender, and a factor analysis were performed on an ad-hoc 11-question survey assessing suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior disclosure. The results indicated that there was an interaction effect between therapist expertise and information on involuntary hospitalization, such that standard therapists discussing in-depth involuntary hospitalization information had increased rates of suicide disclosure compared to standard therapists using standard disclosure and confidentiality protocols. Increased rates of suicide disclosure were also seen with expert therapists using standard disclosure and confidentiality protocols compared to expert therapists discussing in-depth involuntary hospitalization information. Furthermore, women were more likely than men to disclose on questions of suicidality. These findings imply a potential shift in how therapists approach discussing suicidality with clients.

Advisor

Eric Sprankle

Committee Member

Kristie Campana

Committee Member

Jeffrey Buchanan

Date of Degree

2021

Language

english

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Recommended Citation

Hensel, Z. (2021). The effects of therapist expertise and concerns of involuntary hospitalization on the disclosure of suicidal ideations and behavior [Master's thesis, Minnesota State University, Mankato]. Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato. https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds/1134

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.