Psychology Colloquium Series

 

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

4:30 pm

Sanford Room (Library)

 

Applying motivational principles to suicide prevention

 

 

 

Dr. Peter Britton

Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester Medical Center

Investigator, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention,

Canandaigua VA Medical Center

 

ABSTRACT: The months following discharge from psychiatric hospitalization are a period of acute risk for Veterans who receive care from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Rates have plateaued since VHA implemented a system-wide suicide prevention strategy in 2008, indicating a need for additional prevention efforts. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of Motivational Interviewing to Address Suicidal Ideation (MI-SI) that explored and resolved ambivalence, and a revised version (MI-SI-R) that resolved ambivalence, on suicidal ideation (SI) in hospitalized Veterans. Participants were randomized to receive MI-SI plus treatment as usual (TAU), MI-SI-R+TAU, or TAU alone. MI-SI+TAU and MI-SI-R+TAU included 1-2 in-hospital therapy sessions and a telephone booster session. All participants completed follow-up assessments over 6-months. Participants in all groups experienced reductions in the presence and severity of SI, but there were no significant differences among groups. For the presence of SI, results were in the hypothesized direction for both MI-SI+TAU conditions, and the effect size was consistent with prior MI findings. Exploratory analyses examining risk for suicide attempts also suggested that MI-SI-R may be preferable to MI-SI. Examination of the predictive validity of the Living Ladder, a one-item measure of readiness to live, confirmed the importance of motivation to live and identified potential next steps. 

 

SPONSORED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY AND OAFA

 

Email Prof. Graham (graham@hws.edu) for more information.

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

4:30 pm

Sanford Room (Library)

 

If you are reading this, you are probably not getting enough sleep: The role of sleep in the 21st Century

 

 

Jack Peltz

Department of Psychology

Daemen College

 

SPONSORED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY AND OAFA

 

Email Prof. Graham (graham@hws.edu) for more information.