Suicide Risk Assessments: Examining Influences on Clinicians' Professional Judgment

Professional judgment in complex clinical situations such as the assessment of suicide risk encompasses a multifaceted cognitive understanding of the substantive issues, technical expertise, and emotional awareness. This experimental design study investigated the degree to which the previous work-re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of orthopsychiatry 2015-07, Vol.85 (4), p.295-301
Main Authors: Regehr, Cheryl, LeBlanc, Vicki R., Bogo, Marion, Paterson, Jane, Birze, Arija
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Clinical Competence
Cognition
Emotions
Female
Health Personnel Attitudes
Health risk assessment
Human
Humans
Judgment
Male
Medical personnel
Middle Aged
Occupational Stress
Patients
Post traumatic stress disorder
Psychodiagnosis
Research Design
Risk
Risk Assessment
Social Workers
Stress
Suicidal Ideation
Suicide
Suicide Risk Assessment
Suicides & suicide attempts
Symptoms
Trauma
Young Adult
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Summary:Professional judgment in complex clinical situations such as the assessment of suicide risk encompasses a multifaceted cognitive understanding of the substantive issues, technical expertise, and emotional awareness. This experimental design study investigated the degree to which the previous work-related experiences of clinicians and their preexisting emotional state influence professional judgment regarding acute risk in patients presenting with suicidal ideation. Experienced social workers and social work students conducted suicide risk assessments on 2 standardized patients performing in scenarios constructed to depict individuals presenting with suicidal ideation. This study revealed significant variations in clinical judgments of practitioners assessing suicide risk. While scores on standardized risk assessment measures were the strongest predictor of judgments regarding the need for hospitalization to ensure the safety of the patient, other influences included clinician age and levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms. Mental health clinicians and organizations that employ them should be aware of possible individual influences on professional judgments related to suicide risk.
ISSN:0002-9432
1939-0025
DOI:10.1037/ort0000075