Rural and Non-Rural Pediatric Health Care Providers' Youth Suicide Prevention Beliefs, Attitudes, Training, and Practices.

BACKGROUND: A substantial number of youth experience suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and those living in rural areas are at even greater risk. Pediatric health care providers tend to be the first point of contact for youth at risk for suicide. Thus, there is a need to understand rural and non-rural providers' beliefs, training, and practices in youth suicide prevention. OBJECTIVE: We examined providers' beliefs, previous training, and current practices in youth suicide prevention, with attention to potential differences across providers working in rural and non-rural areas. METHOD: Participants were 171 pediatric health care providers in Texas, working in primary care or pediatric settings, who completed an online survey. RESULTS: Overall, 70% of participants reported having never participated in suicide risk assessment/intervention training for youth patients, with no significant difference between rural and non-rural providers. Nearly all providers expressed an interest in additional training, with many reporting a willingness to engage in a virtual training. Rural and non-rural providers were not significantly different in their self-reported knowledge and skills related to suicide risk assessment/intervention. However, providers' responses differed in confidence ratings; that is, non-rural providers' ratings of their confidence in conducting youth suicide risk assessment/intervention were higher compared to rural providers. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight a clear gap between pediatric health care providers' previous training and current responsibilities in treating child and adolescent patients experiencing suicidal ideation and behavior. Implications and future directions are discussed.